The Unidentified Tea
by celticvampriss
Summary: He was going to die. Soon ... And when death stares you in the face, when it is imminent and very real, things take perspective. What is important? What mattered most to him? The answer was easy. He knew a long time ago. It was Alice. Hatter POV. HatterxAlice. Complete.
1. Would You Like a Cup of Tea?

**A/N: I know that there are a lot of Hatter POV stories out there. But I've recently watched the show and was rather taken with Hatter so I wanted to give it a go. This is also my attempt to fight the wicked case of writer's block I've been having. Like some of the others, I will be adding a few scenes, a bit of back story, and a few helpful explanations for things that were a bit unclear in the show. I will not be using any of the stuff I read from other people, all of it is my own interpretation of Hatter's voice and his thoughts. If it looks like I've taken something from someone else, odds are I didn't read their story. I've only read two Hatter POVs so far, and I'm steering clear of their original ideas. (Although, as would happen, some of his thought patterns are similar in every story.) Still, I wanted to do this character justice and hopefully, bring a differnt angle/new information to this. Most of the dialogue is taken from the show, except for the bits I added, as word for word as I could manage. Hope you enjoy, this is really fun to write and reviews are appreciated but not necessary.**

**Disclaimer: I guess I need to mention I don't own the dialogue, since I did sort of steal it all from the show, but there is no profit here, just fun. I love SyFy for making this, if only for Hatter's sake. I can give or take Alice to be honest. I would have jumped him long before their kiss at the end. She was crazy not to. ^_^  
**

**That's enough out of me, on with the story.  
**

**The Unidentified Tea**

**ONE  
Would You Like a Cup of Tea?  
**

"She's who now?" Hatter sat behind his desk, fingertips pressed together. He had, of course, heard Ratty the first time, but it was the sort of name that one doubled checked.

"Alice. Said so herself. Looking for some guy, I don't know. Thought of you." Ratty grinned, all black teeth showing and Hatter thought he could see the odor rise in a putrid green cloud from whatever rot the man had been feasting. Well, Ratty was convinced that much was apparent. Didn't occur to the simple man that it could be any other Alice but _The_ Alice.

Hatter set his hands on the arms of his chair. "Very well. Bring her in."

Nodding and bobbing, Ratty trotted off. Now, Hatter found himself preparing for the exchange. The Alice or an Alice, he knew Ratty wouldn't mistake gender and that called for a specific type of performance. Oysters, as far as he knew of them, liked the theatrics and he was all too willing to please. No one could say that Hatter lacked showmanship. In fact, he believed that to be the soul of business. Yes, you had to have a grasp of economics and trade, prices and even a little politics, but you really got things done when you made the sale.

Appealing to the fact that this poor oyster was a woman, he went for aloof with a splash of charm. He jumped into a white chair, differentiated from the others by the fact that it swiveled, and let himself spin a few times before coming to a halt. "God, I love that." He smiled and then he thought he heard the door and quickly set his back to the doorway. A quick adjust of his hat and then he crossed one leg over the other. Now he was ready. He heard Ratty enter, or smelled more like, and waited just the right amount of…

"Would you like a cup of tea?" He grinned. Ah, perfect. He sensed them stop and knew he'd raised the right amount of curiosity, the mystery would pull her in. It worked all the time, or most. Wonderlanders were harder to charm. Their emotions never quite in the right spot for his particular style of performance. So he reveled in the few times he had a truly appreciative audience.

"No, thank you. Who are you?" Ah, alert this one. Sometimes he'd get the scraps the Suits've already mussed up with their chemicals and what have you. This oyster sounded fully aware. Even better.

He spun the chair. "A friend. I hope." The oyster looked wary, clearly not impressed or in the mood for buttering. But, butter he would if he had any hope of a smooth transaction. So far, his actual plans were still in the air. They depended on the little interview he was about to conduct. He'd assess and make his move from there. As it was, he was quick to note that she was very, very dripping wet. Raven hair all clumped and stringy, but not at all unpleasantly. That blue dress, darker in the areas it was still truly soaked, was not unflattering. "I run the Tea Shoppe." He added as Ratty began to untie an awful bandana from the oyster's arm. Not exactly subtle, but was enough to get her to Hatter without flashing the whole of Wonderland the fact that she was an oyster. He stood now and walked toward his desk. "How did you break out of the Scarab?" He turned and sat on the edge of the desk top.

"What the beetle thing?" Obviously she wouldn't know its proper name. "I used my hairpin and I…"

"Fell." He finished. That much he deduced from her still soaking dress.

"As you can see, I'm drenched."

_Oh, I can see that perfectly. Lovely and drenched. _His eyes traveled down and then up without remorse.

"Look, this place," apparently, she wanted to continue talking, "Where-_what_ is it?"

He removed his eyes from the delightfully clingy fabric at her hips. The devilish smirk falling flat as he moved on from the oyster's state of elevated water content. "Oh. Wonderland."

Her eyes told him she thought he might be joking. Oh, but that was a big mistake. "But that's a story in a kid's book."

_Sweetheart, if you go 'round thinking of this as a child's play fun, you ain't gonna be in the game for very long. _It was more than necessary for her to get rid of that notion real quick. "Does this look like a kid's story to you?" His voice was serious, bit ominous. Sure, it was the more flashy approach, but the show was all necessary for this business to work. He watched her question herself. She glanced at the walls and surely was remembering the state of things outside, the Scarab, and whoever had got her into it in the first place. There were no fairy tales here, or happy endings or any of that nonsense. Just plain old nonsense, the kind that gave you nightmares or got you killed or drove you mad. Unless you knew how to process or were, in fact, already mad. And as for him, well, everyone was just a bit mad in Wonderland.

"No." She said and he could see that she understood. Good for her.

"It's changed a lot since then." He strolled in her direction, swiping a magnifying glass from the desk.

"So you're saying that it was real?"

"You oysters don't know how to find us so—" he reached for her arm, "—excuse me," and examined the burn with the glass. Genuine. Oo, and soft. "You tell yourself that we don't exist and quite frankly, we'd like to keep it that way."

She jerked her arm away, "Why am I an oyster? This?" She motioned to the burn. The oyster seemed antsy. Obviously, she'd been through a lot and he wasn't helping her situation. Probably had loads of questions she'd like to ask, but really, she'd just learn as she went. Much easier that way.

"That's not gonna come off." He grinned and she huffed. "Sorry." He offered, but he wasn't. Hatter knew he could be a cheeky little bastard when he wanted. In his defense, she did look particularly put off and there truly was nothing he could do to erase the burn. It was, he considered, amusing. Then she looked up and he stopped smiling. Such pretty blue eyes giving off such a serious glare. This one, although clever and pretty, was fairly wound up. "Only people from your world turn green when burned by the light. It's the Suits way of branding their catch and they call you oysters," he returned the magnifying glass, talking over his shoulder. "because of the shiny little pearls that you all carry inside."

"What do you mean pearls?" Her voice dropped, like she feared he might mine for one right there. Cut her open and start digging for treasure. But that wasn't his job, the mining.

"She's Alice." Ratty put in, anxious to get his pay. "Tell him who you are."

"Wow." Hatter acknowledged, but he knew now that this was not The Alice. How could she be? She'd be ancient by now. He kept his face even, best not to crack a smile and make the rat any more anxious. "Really?" Hatter began to circle her, looking up and down like he was validating Ratty's claim. "Oooo." He laughed, unable to maintain a straight face. He stopped next to Ratty, still grinning. Ratty was not laughing. He lost the grin and set an arm around his informant. "Ratty here, thinks you're Alice…of legend."

Clearly confused, she waited for more and when nothing came asked, "Who?" Most definitely not Alice of legend. Poor Ratty, he'd been so excited.

Hatter slid his arm off Ratty, "The last time, um…" Good lord, that jacket was caked in grease. Was it even black by nature or did the grime just build up and paint it that horrid color? Hatter grimaced at his tainted fingers before getting back on track. "The last time a girl called Alice came here from your world she brought down the whole house of cards, oh yeah." He had circled behind her again, now face to face. He let the words fall slowly, weighty, and stared into her eyes. "Made quite an impression." Alice didn't look convinced, but met his stare with a confused tilt to her eyebrows. "Although, it was a hundred and fifty years ago." He pulled his eyes from her face and spoke to Ratty who still had no idea that this oyster was just an oyster. "It can't be the same girl. Oysters don't even live that long."

"I still want a good price." Ratty said. But he wouldn't be getting a thing if Hatter didn't think he could turn a profit on this deal. Lucky for Ratty, his little appraisal of the oyster had led to the discovery of a ring. Pretty expensive looking piece of merch, looked old and had couple good sized rocks on it. Hatter knew he'd be taking her to Dodo, auction that ring for her safety and then leave her in the resistance's hands and out of his hair. All he had to do was get her there and give Ratty one of his numerous Teas. Not a bad day's work, if he did say so himself.

"Wait a minute, I am not for sale." The oyster argued, clearly offended. Hatter held up a finger. He'd deal with her once Ratty was gone. The man did tend to darken the presentation and Hatter didn't need another voice to confuse the oyster even more.

Hatter regarded the man, thinking of the payment. It needed to be worth the time to move Alice and the price of the ring, enough to make the deal worth it for Hatter. He sent a grin toward Alice when he turned to retrieve a Tea from his private stores. Tea is what Ratty wanted. And Tea Hatter had in ready supply. "Not on the grass." He warned when he sensed Ratty follow. All of the city was decaying around him, he'd not have Ratty's smelly boots mussing up his beautiful grass. One of the few pieces of green left in the city walls.

Hatter reached his cupboard. "Right." He sighed, still trying to pick the right one to give. With indecisive fingers he selected the blue bottle of Peace. Then he turned to Ratty and shook his head. No. A man like Ratty didn't need Peace. Hatter picked up the pink bottle. Yes, that one would do. One of the easiest to make, and thereby cheapest, and something a rat would certainly need. Must be his unbirthday, Hatter thought as he swirled the bottle, since nearly every day was. He'd be robbing Ratty blind with this deal. Like switching a rock for a fresh loaf of bread and jam. Thankfully, Ratty couldn't tell the difference between a rock and tree, so the unfairness was safe.

"Here we are." Hatter held the bottle in front of him, showing it off. "Mmm." Ratty had the eagerness of someone who had no true idea what they were getting, but knew they wanted it. Alice looked downright mystified. "Pink nectar." He began, strolling closer, bottle raised. "Filled with the thrill of human excitement." Ratty was beside himself, poor thing didn't know what to do. _Sell. Sell. Sell_. "Fifty oysters were drained of every last drop of hullaballoo so that you, Ratty, can," he blinked and savored the words, bottle aloft and followed by Ratty's greedy eyes, "taste what it feels like to win. Just. Once." Ratty grabbed for the bottle. _Sometimes, Hatter, you do your job too well._

Hatter lifted the bottle away, now giving the disclaimer to keep his conscious clear and obey laws and blah blah. "Warning. Don't take it on an empty stomach and only one tiny little drop at a time otherwise the experience might _burst_ your shriveled up little heart. Got it?"

"Got it."

"Good. Go."

Ratty skittered away happily, his prize clutched to his chest.

Hatter brought up his hand where it had brushed Ratty's in the exchange and sniffed. The scent lingered, oh beautiful. "He really smells." He commented.

"Oysters were drained?" _Eek. So she caught that. _Not his best choice of words when in front of an oyster, but he'd been swept up in his delivery. _Well, this could get nasty. Best to tread careful._ "What do you mean drained?" The oyster, justifiably, seemed disturbed by this.

"Ratty tells me you're looking for someone." He diverted smoothly as he headed back toward his desk.

"His name is Jack Chase." Alice replied, going along with the obvious change of topic. Hatter grabbed the cup of tea he had made before Ratty had come in and spoiled his quiet evening. "He was taken by a man with a white rabbit on his lapel."

The cup halted in mid-air. "I see." Hatter raised it to his lips again, "Mm." He took a small sip. Poor little oyster. If she knew what it meant that the White Rabbit had got him. He'd be in the Casino for sure, probably already hooked up and draining as they sat their chatting. Not that Hatter'd be telling her that right then. Besides, there was a fair chance he'd not been hooked up yet. That he was simply drugged out of his brain and waiting all snug like in a holding cell somewhere. Not unhappy, but not exactly with his consent.

"The White Rabbit," he explained, rather somberly, "is an organization controlled by the suits. They travel back and forth through the Looking Glass and…vanish people from your world to ours."

"Why?" She asked.

He once again halted before he took a sip from his tea cup. "To use. In the Casino." He got another heavenly sip. Somehow, he knew that cup of tea would be cold before he could finish. Shame. Waste, that was.

"Use?"

Uh, bad choice of phrase. Not his most shining moment, but that tea had been so good he'd forgotten himself trying to savor the taste of it. The freshness. The heat. He set the little saucer down. Undoubtedly, it'd be ice before he got another. "Did I say used?" Diffuse and deny. "I don't…slip of the tongue. They're fine." He was standing now, trying to assure her. "And they're kept…moderately happy." No lies, they were kept happy. And excited. And impassioned. And calmed. And all those other delicious emotions the public so craved to experience. Alice, however, did not need to know that.

"How do I get to this Casino?"

"That's the thing," his smile went deadpan, "you don't. Way too dangerous. But," and now the wheels turned, "I know some people who know some, well, other people, if you know what I mean." He stalked closer, driving the words. She still looked wary. He broke her personal space and she leaned her head back as he leaned in. "One of the advantages of owning a Tea Shoppe." He popped the 'p' and fetched an amused smile. The oyster didn't seem to find this funny, but stared rather impatiently and he frowned. "Lighten up." When he thought her tightly wound, he hadn't realized she'd be turning coal to diamonds. Honestly, so her world has been ripped out from under her, not like she's the only oyster with problems. Actually, she was probably the luckiest oyster currently inhabiting Wonderland. So, that was something. Not that she'd have any idea about her real situation to make that realization, but still.

He backed away from her seriously unamused look and held up a finger, brightening when he'd had the brilliant idea of how to hide her brand. "Ta-da!" He opened the glass doors to his coat rack. "You should wear this." He selected a dark coat, one of the few he had that was meant for women. You never know when a woman might end up in your office and need a change of clothes. He returned to her, pinching the shoulders of the jacket in his fingers. "It'll cover the glow and stop you from catching a cold." He held it in front of her, but she didn't seem at all grateful though she had to be freezing.

"I have a little money." She began, the look of a woman who felt she understood her situation and resigned to it. It was a bit defeatist and a lot of a downer. "But I understand you don't use that here."

Ah, she meant the thing Ratty showed him. Flat, green, big ugly mug right in the middle. "Pieces of paper?" He smiled. "Pointless."

Hatter walked behind her, ready to help her with the coat. "Then why would you help me?"

So, an oyster who knew what questions to ask. Had he answered honestly he felt she'd not react favorably. So, he glanced at her darkly, knowing that there was one truth that she probably wouldn't doubt. "Do I need a reason to help a pretty girl in a very wet dress?" And no he did not and yes she was.

Alice spun around quickly, eyeing him.

Now came the part where he acted affronted. It was best to play it up like she was hurting his feelings with that look, puts the guilt on her and makes her doubt her reasonable suspicions. Not that he was out to hurt her. Far from it. Help was what he wanted to do and if he got something out of it, where was the harm?

"Oh. I see. You don't trust me." He played offended, like her distrust put him off. "Fine." He threw the coat over the arm of the sofa. "I am genuinely hurt. Do you know why they call me 'Hatter'?"

Alice paused and then offered an answer. "Because you wear a hat?"

Point taken. He did always wear a hat. "No." He declared. "Because I'm always there when they _pass_ the hat, so to speak." He stalked around her, making her spin. "Philanthropy. Generosity." He stopped behind his swivel chair. "I mean you call it what you will it's who I am. And right now, looking at you there, there's nothing I want more than to help you find…" Shit. Name…Jeff…John…he waited for her to fill him in.

"Jack." She supplied.

"Jack." He repeated. "And return you both to your charming world of children's stories."

The oyster leveled him with her eyes, showing she not only didn't believe him, but found his attempt to sway her humorous. The gall. "I don't believe you." She spoke, but he had already determined that from those frosty eyes and tiny almost smirk.

"I know what you're thinking." He continued. "If I'm the frying pan then that out there…is the fire." He watched her little smirk waver. "I'll be square with you, I know people who like to help your kind. And if every once in awhile I scratch their back…" Now she was listening.

"They'll scratch yours." She finished, understanding.

"Precisely. Lot of scratchin'." He grinned and she set her mouth into a thin line, lifted her chin, and then grabbed the coat. A smug smile played on his lips as he listened to her snatch up the coat. _And that's how it's done. _All that business with payment and the fact that she'd have to give up that ring to get what she wanted, that'd come later. No need to complicate things when they were finally rolling. Best bring that up when they'd gotten to know each other a bit better. When he could determine her reaction better.

He strolled over to the back door and swung it open. "Do try to keep up."

**A/N: And that is the first chapter. I know that this is long for just one scene, but I've a bad habit of long winded writing. I went with the idea, that though he found her pretty and everything, she was just another oyster to him at first. He was just doing business. He doesn't fall for her until later. Hope it was enjoyable. ^_^ Thank you for reading.**


	2. Heights

**TWO**  
**Heights**

In truth, he had not looked up. As much as she had insisted he go first, she had been just as adamant about him not looking up. He had thought about it, if only because she had made such a fuss. He was many things, but he wasn't that kind of rude. This time he was honestly insulted that she even had to ask. After she had made her insistent demands, a trait he was hoping was not habitual, they had lost a good chunk of time.

Hatter jumped the last few rungs of the ladder. When he glanced up, careful that her skirt was past eye level for fear of her ire, she was still snailing down, one step at a time. In an effort to speed things along he grabbed her waist and set her on the ground. She didn't protest or kick him in the face, so there was something.

"Thank you." She said, her hand lingering on his shoulder. He was still sore about her implication that he was some sort of lecherous pervert. He offered no reply on principal.

When he noticed she wasn't following he turned around to see the Oyster clinging to the ladder, looking down the ledge like it was about to melt away under her feet. She looked scared.

"What's the matter?" He asked. All that fight just minutes before, where was all that?

"I've got a thing about heights…" She let out a breath, almost like a laugh and he glanced over the ledge. Wasn't possible to have a fear like that where he came from. Silly thing to be afraid of, too. It's the fall no one wanted. But when he looked at her, he knew genuine fear when he saw it. She truly was scared of looking down. "Why couldn't you guys build the city on the ground?"

_City is on the ground. _His mind answered, but he knew that wasn't what she meant. Though he couldn't understand her particular phobia, he did understand fear and, well, he felt a smidge of sympathy. He couldn't just leave her, looking like that. "Look at me." He said with a sigh, but wasn't surprised when he didn't. She just closed her eyes, breathing sharply.

"Alice…" He softened his tone and when she opened her eyes again, he held out his hand. Didn't take much for his annoyance with her to diffuse. She shows a bit of vulnerability and there he was already forgetting he was angry in the first place.

Alice took his hand. It shook. Before, when he had examined her burn, she'd been steady as a rock. "Try not to look down. Okay?" He eased her forward and she allowed him to. She let out slow breaths and her eyes focused on him, though he could see it was taking all her effort to do so. But she watched him and held his hand and he guided her along.

Hatter had never considered himself a people person. Yes, he was good at talking to them, at knowing how to get them to buy, at keeping himself out of trouble, but really he preferred to be alone. Knowing this about himself, knowing that he preferred to be alone because when people grew close to you they relied on you and he didn't want that responsibility, he was rather astounded that he let it happen so easily with this Oyster. In the Queen's world it was all he could do to rely on himself. So, while he guided Alice along, it occurred to him that she needed him. Right then, at least. In a way, she was depending on him to help her move. He kept their eyes locked, trying to keep her from looking down, and what he saw there made him nervous. That feeling, the one shooting down his arm and into his gut, the feeling of being needed, he didn't mind it at all. And that was mildly terrifying.

He only removed his eyes to make sure they were heading the right way. She stumbled on a piece of rock, her eyes so focused on him she didn't see it. She had let go of his hand then, and had latched onto him. She had the back of his jacket in her fist and her other hand digging into his neck and pulling him down. Her breathing was hiked up and her eyes were closed.

"Hey. Hey, you're fine. You're okay." He soothed. Soothed? Hatter frowned, but thankfully, she couldn't see his face.

"Oh God, that was horrible." She whined.

His neck was killing him. He gently moved his hands to her shoulders. "It's okay. You can let go…" Her arm loosened and then he eased her arm from around his neck. Her eyes were clasped shut and he had to disentangle her arms from his body and put a bit of respectable distance between them. "Alright." He straightened his jacket and stretched out his neck, rubbing where her hands had dug in. "Now, we'll try this again."

"I-I don't think I can—" Alice shook her head, her arms outstretched and her eyes still closed. Her voice was low and she swallowed when she couldn't quite finish the sentence.

Hatter sighed. "Hey. If you don't think you can make it then we can always set you up with a nice home here. You'd love it, really. 'Course, you'd never be able to go anywhere, but I could always send you some food occasionally. Make sure you don't starve." He began to smile, snapping his fingers when an idea hit him. "Oh, you're gonna just adore those little raids during the night, the ones where the Suits search your home for any signs of the resistance." He let out a happy sigh, like this was a fond memory. "Good times. And you being an Oyster and all, everyday'd be like throwing the dice. Do I get discovered and captured today or tomorrow? Oo, we could place bets. I see a whole new market in this. You get a percentage of course—"

"Okay." She snapped. "Okay. I get it. Alright? Just please…stop talking."

He held up his hands, more than happy to comply. She opened one eye, peering at him. "Don't you dare let me fall." She seethed under her breath.

"Wouldn't dream of it." He offered his hand.

**A/N: Short chapter because the next scene is a bit longer. Hoped you enjoyed my added bit at the end, had a lot of fun writing it. ^_^ Really thought Hatter looked a bit peeved when Alice first got off the ladder, so when I was writing I needed to figure out what subtext went with that face. Figured they'd have bickered about something. Thanks for reading.**


	3. Everyone's a Little Jumpy

**THREE**  
**Everyone's a Little Jumpy**

They had made it to the Library intact. Hatter left Alice propped on the wall while he went to knock on the proper door. He was most anxious to get this business over with, because quite frankly, if he wasn't lying to himself, he was growing fond of her. He knocked on the door, leaning heavily against it as he waited for Duck.

"I'm returning a library book. It's the work of Edwin and Morcar." He said quickly.

"How does the little crocodile improve his shinning tail?" Duck replied.

"He pours water of the Nile on every golden scale." Hatter rushed feeling, oddly, embarrassed to be spouting what Alice had to hear as gibberish. The words were not such to Hatter or most Wonderlanders, the poem was historic, actually, one of the few surviving rhymes of the old days. A perfect code since the Queen forbade anyone learning 'bout their history.

The door opened fully. "Come on, be quick."

Hatter followed Alice into the lift. "Hello, Duck." He added as the older man ignored him and had them lurching downward before Alice was fully in her seat. She grasped the bench, the sudden drop startling her. He watched her pant, his eyes drawn to the rapid rise and fall of blue cotton. "It's all right." He assured, feeling it was his place to offer the assurance. It was an instinctual assurance and Hatter didn't know what to make of it.

The lift rattled away as the atrium came into view. When they stopped, Hatter held up a finger, "Wait," and then the bus settled with a shake and they were finally stopped. He had just motioned for Alice to exit when he looked up to see Owl with a gun, pointed straight at them. Behind him, Duck seized the opportunity to point one in his shoulder. Really? This again?

Alice had her hands up, but Hatter let out a heavy sigh. "Why don't you just put these things away? You know me well enough." He had said the same the last time he'd been down to the Library. Yeah, given the current state of things, trust was always an issue, but really, if he hadn't sold them out by now why would he?

"We have our orders." Duck said, pushing Hatter along.

Hatter began to raise his hands in surrender, sighing.

"And keep that right hand where we can see it." Owl snapped, gun firm in her two handed grip. Honestly, you'd think he walked in wearing black with a number on his chest like some club.

He rolled his fingers. "It's just flesh and blood."

"Right, we've all seen what you can do with that sledgehammer." Owl retorted wisely. He wished she'd harp on something else, because that was a pool of memories he didn't like reliving. All kinds of bad emotions threatening to spoil his natural good humor. Time had done little to dilute the potency of pain, guilt, betrayal, and all the other bad ones, and that had been years ago. Back when people didn't call him Hatter.

"Did you like the box of confects I brought you guys last week?" Hatter asked, both to drop the subject and to get those damnable guns pointed somewhere else. "The cured meats?" They exchanged looks and he knew he'd brought up the right topic. These hard-core resistance types were always ready to listen at the prospect of a half-way decent meal. "And the cheese?" Their hold on the weapons already started to slacken.

"They're all gone." Duck said.

"Well, if you don't treat me with a little respect," he assured, "you won't get another crumb."

"Sorry, Hatter. Everyone's a little jumpy." Owl pulled the gun to her chest, avoiding eye contact.

"Everyone's always a little jumpy." He grumbled. He placed a hand on Alice's back to guide her forward. She still had her hands raised, apparently a step behind the conversation. He'd known Duck and Owl would see reason once he threatened to cut them off. No one wanted to live off rat meat and Casino scraps.

They started to follow Owl, Alice finally lowering her arms. "Where are we?" She asked.

"The Great Library." He informed, looking off the balcony to the lower floors. "There's five thousand years of history hidden here. Art. Literature. Lore. Rescued when the Queen of Hearts seized power. She'd like nothing more than to see this place burned to nothing."

"Who's the Queen of Hearts?" Alice asked innocently. Unfortunately, this was not a question one asked in Wonderland. It was on par with a fear of heights.

"She doesn't know the Queen?" Owl's squeaking voice rang in his ears before he had time to properly react to his blunder of not explaining that bit about the Queen to Alice prior. "Who the hell is she, Hatter?" Owl had that blasted gun out again, aimed straight at his face and began advancing. Hatter was already working out how to best diffuse the situation, but Owl didn't seem readily interested in an explanation. He had to think quickly.

"Would you just relax, Owl." He extended his arms to try and ward off the gun. Not that his palms would do much to stop the bullets. Owl halted her advance. "Calm." _Think. Think…_Owl was still very guarded and suspicious. Hatter glanced at Alice. "She's led a sheltered life, that's all." Believable? Not exactly, but these two were easy enough to persuade if he had the right offering. And he knew better than to enter the Library without something up his sleeve. Or, rather, in his back pocket.

"Back to the elevator." Duck ordered. "Both of ya."

Hatter was just reaching for his insurance and Owl followed his hand with her gun. "W-watch tha' right hand!" She squeaked.

"Have you two not learned to trust me, yet?" Hatter held up the biscuits. Ah, now he had their attention. Times were hard. And he couldn't say he blamed them, but it did send a small blow to his character. After all this time, all the opportunities he had to sell them out to the Suits, and they still regarded him with suspicion. Trust, he knew, was hard to come by in Wonderland. He'd seen enough of it wasted on people who betrayed him the moment things got hard. But that was a long time ago.

Owl and Duck both followed the treats with their eyes eagerly. "Is that a bribe?" Owl asked, the gun once again cradled in her chest.

"Yes. Two bribes. Tasty. Delicious. Yummy ones." He sent a glance to either side, arms outstretched with the treats, and then his eyes settled on Alice. Was that appreciation or, dare he think, admiration in her eyes? Fight it as she might, he saw that twitch of her lip. He spoke to her now, slightly fascinated that she was directing that look at him and that he was pleased with himself for putting it there. "So hard to make a decision on an empty stomach, don't you think?"

"You better be on the level, Hatter. Or you won't make it out of here alive, this time." Duck said, eyes still on the treat. Hatter's eyes were for Alice and the very slight tilt in the corner of her mouth, like they were sharing a private joke.

Owl and Duck grabbed their treats and he straightened his coat and they resumed their course.

"These are the guys who are going to help me find Jack?" She bent toward him.

He leaned down, conspiratorially. "Don't worry. Their boss is a little more savvy." _ Which isn't _necessarily_ a good thing. _

"Who are those poor people?" Alice asked, and he realized she had stopped following him. She was looking down at the stacks of books and the people who lived among them.

"Refugees. Those who don't want to be a part of the Queen's world of instant gratification. We give'em shelter and try and feed'em best we can but…it is dangerous. If the Queen found out they wouldn't stand a chance." It was a sad sight. One he usually avoided. It had been easy to tell himself he was still helping. That someone needed to be the front for them, smuggle them supplies. So he had a cushy life because of it, he couldn't help that. Over the years, this rationalization seemed more and more of an excuse. An excuse because he was afraid and because in this world, he'd learned the hard way, you could only count on yourself.

"Why would she want to destroy all of this?" She said and Hatter watched her, her face clearly betraying how she felt about the situation. Appalled some sympathy and even, he thought he noticed, a flare of righteous anger. It was astonishing, really. Astonishing because this Oyster, who knew nothing of these people until ten seconds ago, nothing of the troubles and instability that Wonderland was facing, could summon these feelings so easily. People she didn't know. Hatter knew most of them. He'd talked to them. Met them. Saw parents giving the last of their food to their thinning children while they went hungry. And, yes, it hurt him too. He felt sympathy. Who wouldn't? But he still kept his safe anonymity in the Resistance and took what luxuries the Hearts offered as reward for his 'loyal' service.

"Wisdom is the biggest threat." He continued, in answer to her question. "She controls people with a quick fix." Alice nodded, seeming to understand. He moved away from the railing, letting his fingers slip off one at a time. "We should…we should get moving. Get this James back for you." He said, lightly.

"Jack." Alice corrected instantly as she turned to follow after Owl.

He watched the back of her head. "James. Jack. Whatever." He mumbled before following himself. The name put a bitter taste in his mouth.

**A/N: Story is actually coming along. I'm hoping to do a chapter a day, but not sure I'll be able to stick with that. I have a back story forming for Hatter. A reason for the whole "right arm sledgehammer" thing, since they never explain that as well as some other information. And I tried to develop his growing feelings for Alice believably. Hope it reads okay and that everyone (or just the one so far) enjoys reading this as much as I do writing it. Also, I used an extended scene that isn't in the original TV release, but that I also didn't fabricate. You can look the extended scenes up on Youtube. Thanks for reading. ^_^**


	4. Yeah, Well, Actually Shot Me

**FOUR**  
**Yeah, Well, Actually Shot Me**

"She's looking for her boyfriend." Hatter explained. He and Alice had been nudged to the center of the room, still regarded with suspicion. Dodo wasn't even showing his face yet. And people called Hatter dramatic. "A Jack Chance."

"Chase. His name is Jack Chase." Alice corrected on cue.

_Yeah. Yeah. _He whined in his head. "She needs help." He said aloud. "I thought of you, Dodo."

"Really?" Dodo began with the arrogance of a person who knew he was needed and sought to take advantage of that need. "And why would I want to help your Oyster?" He emerged from the shadows.

_My-my Oyster? I don't own…she doesn't belong to me…_He cleared his throat and snuck a peek at Alice's face. She didn't seem to mind the possessive insinuation. If she didn't notice, maybe he was just reading too much into it. He brushed the words off easily as Dodo finished speaking.

"When you know that bringing her here puts us all at risk."

"Oh please," Now Dodo was just being difficult. "I've spent years smuggling more dangerous stuff than this down here."

Dodo grinned, stepping forward. "You know what rankles most about blood-sucking, carpetbaggers like you, Hatter? Your gall." Oh boy. They were in for a speech. Dodo seemed to be in a self-righteous mood. Lovely. "While we risk our lives trying to bring freedom to ungrateful _leeches_ like you, you swan about, living the good life."

"Stop your crowin'." Hatter said. Right or no, Hatter's job _was_ necessary. Easy or not, it had to be done. If some had to have the low jobs then someone had to have the good ones. It didn't help that he agreed with Dodo and it didn't help that Alice was present to hear all of this. Why he should be embarrassed about it, he didn't know. They'd be going their separate ways soon, what did her opinion matter to him? Hatter continued, peeved. "You know I'm on your side."

"I'm sure you say that to all your enemies." Dodo quipped.

_The bloody nerve._ "I do what's necessary." Hatter defended. "I kiss what butts need kissin' so your machine stays oiled."

"Look if you can't help me I'll just leave." Alice added, starting to do just that.

Hatter felt the pang of failure and it stung. Really really stung. He needed to get his business back on track, do what he set out to do. Get her in with the Resistance so she could get home.

Dodo chuckled. "Headstrong, isn't she?"

Hatter glared. As he was beginning to learn, she was just that: headstrong and willful, but Hatter hated the look in Dodo's eyes as he had made the comment. His resentment flared knowing it was directed at Alice.

"Can you help me get Jack out of the Casino?" Alice demanded, apparently done with their fluttering about what she considered the real issue here.

"I don't see how." Dodo answered.

"The Resistance has contacts inside the Casino, right?" Hatter asked.

"No comment."

Hatter refrained from his first choice of words. For Alice's sake. "Use them to find her guy. She can pay you." _This is what you're here for, Hatter. Just doing what I have to do. It's the only way to get her home. _How weak those arguments were starting to sound. "But I want my usual cut up front." _Don't look at her. Just keep your eyes ahead. Focus. This is helping her, not just you. You're doing this for her…_

"Pay me?" Dodo's interest was tickled. "Pay me with what?"

Hatter moved behind Alice, jaw clenched. _She'll kill you for this. No turning back. Dodo won't react favorably if I give him nothing. And I'll be helping her, she'll understand…? Hopefully. _"Show him the rock Alice."

"What?"

He could hear it in her voice. The realization that he had planned to trade her possession without her consent. _Too late now. _"The ring. On your finger." _Don't look at her. She'll thank me later…No she won't you jackass. She's pissed and she has every right to be. _Hatter could have kicked himself, but he already knew…it was too late to stop now.

"No, that is off-limits." She leaned toward him, stage whispering fiercely. But it was too late, the damage was done. Besides, it really was her only chance of getting what's-his-name out of the Casino.

"It's all you have Alice." He reasoned, finally looking at her. She looked hurt, even betrayed and, wow, it hurt so much more than he thought possible. But she had to see reason. Her wish to get Josh was impossible, it was him or the ring. She had to see that.

"No." She insisted.

Dodo had rushed forward while they were talking, grabbing her wrist and pulling her fingers into his view. And Hatter nearly punched him right there. He was just about to push the old man away when he noticed the look on Dodo's face.

"It's not possible." Dodo said, still holding her hand and Alice pulled away. "Where did you get it?" The mood had suddenly changed. Hatter didn't know what Dodo had seen, but that look in his eyes was pure lust. And not the kind of lust one attributes to pretty girls. Dodo wanted that ring.

"It's none of your business and it's not for sale." Alice replied.

"Where did you get it?" Dodo bellowed, making her cringe back. Something was off. Really off.

"What is it?" Hatter asked, trying to catch up.

"Your Oyster is wearing the Stone of Wonderland." Dodo answered.

_What? What? How the hell did she…? _"That's impossible." Hatter assured. Dodo could have made a mistake…

"I'm never wrong." Dodo assured, halting that theory.

"Where did you get it, Alice?" Hatter asked, only vaguely aware that he and Dodo were backing her into a corner. The Stone of Wonderland? She had no idea what she was sitting on. Her eyes shot back and forth between them, mystified by their reactions.

"Jack gave it to me." She answered crisply.

"Jack?" Dodo pressed, advancing further.

"Jack Chase, the guy we're looking for."

"Well where did he get it?"

"I don't know."

"Give it to me." He demanded.

But Alice was a pistol. She hollered right back. "NO."

Dodo was done negotiating. He stalked back toward his desk, barking a quick order to Owl. "Take her out."

"Are you crazy?" Alice shrieked, Owl lifting her weapon obediently. But this was the furthest Hatter was willing to let things escalate. He held up his hand, placing himself between the gun and Alice. And it was the craziest thing he'd ever done. And he firmly believed he'd do it again.

"Stop. Just…wait." Hatter hated guns. Had since the day one took out his right arm. But he was not about to let Alice suffer for his mistake. He held up his hand, trying to ease Owl who was clearly stirred up enough to shoot.

"You're in way over your head, Hatter." Dodo said from behind his desk. And that may have been the case, but this wasn't about him anymore. He wasn't sure when during those negotiations things had changed, but now he had a job to do. To get Alice out of there safely. That was all that mattered.

"Just give me one second to talk to her, okay?" One second so I can get her out of here. He was doing what he usually did best. Talking to get himself out of a jam.

Now Dodo chambered his own round into a weapon. "It controls the Looking Glass." He took aim. "You know that."

"Calm down. Put the gun away. I'm sure we can all get what we want here." Hatter reasoned. He needed to take out those weapons so he and Alice could make a run for it. He was done negotiating now. He just needed the right words to give them their chance.

"No one is getting this ring." Alice confirmed and Hatter sent her a quick glare over his shoulder. See, repeating that was only going to make Dodo more insane. Though it was valiant of her to assert herself, she was just digging their hole deeper. Making the situation worse.

"I've been waiting for years for a break like this." Hatter's attention was quickly recaptured by Dodo, now advancing on them with a loaded weapon. "And now it falls into our laps."

"Stop waving that thing around. You're scaring everyone." Hatter held out his arm, shielding Alice as best he could from the three sets of weapons pointed her way.

"If we can return the oysters back to their world, maybe we can save ours." Dodo continued with the passion of someone who believed themselves in the right and that the ends might justify the means.

"Just put the gun down." Hatter ordered on deaf ears.

"Think about it. The Queen reduced to mopping floors. It'll be just like the old days. Justice. Reason." Now he was really getting puffed up. Their situation looked dire and Hatter needed to do something about it. Fast. "And the rule of law."

"Stop this." In a desperate, and in hindsight rather unintelligent, move Hatter tried to take Dodo's gun. It then fired into his shoulder and sent him flying backwards. His body hit a stack of books and for the next few seconds, that was all he knew.

He heard Owl. "You shot Hatter!"

And then his lungs filled with air again.

"We don't need him anymore. The ring is our ticket out of here."

_Alice._

Hatter strained to move his left arm, the shoulder throbbing. He managed to get his hands on his own weapon just as he looked to catch Alice's coat as she fled. _ Good. At least that much was taken care of. _He fired a round into the air before Dodo or anyone could pursue. He'd hopefully buy her enough time to get in the lift.

Hatter got to his feet, hand clutching his shoulder. "Leave her alone." He rushed to stand between them and the door. "Or I swear the next one will be aimed at your head." His threat wasn't a bluff. If Dodo made a move to pursue her, he would shoot. He was in that kind of a mood. Being shot, dealing with more emotions than he was used to in a day, and facing the consequences of his own selfish actions did that to him.

"Look, Hatter, this is a game changer." Dodo tried, employing the diplomacy now. It was much too late for that. Hatter had already tried reason and it was the three of them that had turned it into a standoff. "I'll give you three times your price." Hatter chanced a glance behind him, hoping Alice would already have made it to the lift. He didn't see her in the hall directly outside, which was both relieving and depressing. "Five. Ten." Dodo continued, as if Hatter was even listening. "You name it."

He got a little too close and Hatter wasn't having it. "Back off."

"If you let her leave with the ring." Dodo's voice dropped to a threat. "I'll have every member of the Resistance hunting you down. You'll be dead before tea time."

"And that's the thanks I get?" Hatter asked, infuriated. The nerve. The bloody flipping gall. "For keeping you bums fed and watered all these years?" And that was when Dodo had snaked his way forward just enough so he could twist Hatter's arm up behind his back and remove the threat of the gun.

Pain shot up his other arm and Hatter fell to his knees. Yep, it was gonna be that kind of a day. Hatter coughed, trying to catch his breath as the pain eased from his other shoulder. Now only the one was throbbing. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself upright and gave chase. Dodo was not going to lay a hand on Alice. Not while Hatter was still breathing. This had gone far enough and, quite frankly, he was sick of it.

When he caught up to Dodo, who was considerably slow, he lunged and brought the man down with him.

"Hatter." Alice shouted his name from the lift. She was still there. She needed to run.

"It's the blue button." He said. It didn't matter if she left without him. It mattered that she was safe. He'd worry about himself later.

Dodo finally managed to kick Hatter off, sending him stepping backward. As his back hit the wall, Hatter watched Alice hesitate. What was she waiting for? "Go Alice." Hatter ordered as he caught Dodo's arms and began pushing. "Push the blue button." He slammed Dodo into one of the marble pillars. He grabbed that horrible jacket with his left hand and brought back his right, throwing the punch just as Dodo jerked his head to safety. The marble cracked and splintered. "Lucky." Hatter breathed and Dodo seized his chance to send his knee into Hatter's stomach. When he doubled over, Dodo brought the same knee up into Hatter's face and sent him crashing to the floor, hat flying into the air.

Head spinning, Hatter felt weight on his chest and then Dodo had him by the right arm, holding it so that Hatter couldn't use it. The first punch was the worst, stinging and making his ears ring. The second and third only mixed and melted with the rest of his burning cheeks and eye. And Dodo's fist just kept coming as each one rendered Hatter too stunned to counter. As Hatter's head hit the floor again, blood swirling in his mouth, he caught the fuzzy outline of red. His eyes focused just as Dodo's head went reeling back from the force of Alice's boot, her thin leg stretched out above Hatter's head and then just as quickly it was gone. Groaning, he rolled onto his stomach and saw his hat, which was not on his head. He reached for it, gripping it to his chest as he waited for the floor to stop rocking.

He was just getting up to protect Alice, who had stupidly thrown herself into the fight, when she grabbed his jacket and yanked him to his feet. She had to drag him toward the lift and he glanced behind them to see Dodo rolling on the floor, obviously in pain. "How'd you do that?" She got him onto the bus and he slumped to the floor as she finally hit the blue button.

As the lift jerked upwards, Alice fell to his side and began to pull open his shirt. She was a bit rough and it sent a wave of pain down his arm. He winced.

"How bad is it?" She urged, fumbling with the buttons. He cringed, feeling her tackle his shirt and briefly reflecting on the actual movement of her fingers when they pushed away the fabric and brushed his skin. Maybe his shoulder didn't hurt him that badly, not anymore, but he'd not let on just yet. The body arm he always wore, just in case, had caught the bullet and saved him a serious injury. But it'd bruise for sure and still bloody hurt.

When Alice noticed the vest her hands stopped their wonderful searching. He glanced at her with one eye. Yep, she was pissed. "You're not even wounded." She accused. And then she slapped his shoulder. Okay, that bit was unnecessary and did really hurt. "You lied to me." She screamed like that was the important thing here. Such a…an ungrateful little harpy. He had just risked himself to get her out of there, but never mind that. Let's focus on the negative.

"I was trying to help ya." He winced. Her slap had sent new waves of pain down his shoulder.

"By selling my ring?"

"I didn't know it was the Stone of Wonderland, did I?"

"Well, you could have asked me before bringing me here."

He rubbed at his neck, his throat starting to hurt from the tension and the need for a nice cold drink. "You wouldn't have come."

"You're damn right I wouldn't. He almost killed me." She held an accusatory finger in his face. Clearly a bit riled up on adrenaline.

"Yeah, well he actually shot me." Instead of you, he added mentally. He pointed at the wound, which was still a wound no matter what she said. Body armor didn't stop the force of the bullet, just kept it from breaking skin.

"Tell me the truth. What is the Stone of Wonderland?" She asked, her voice falling to a more reasonable volume.

"It's a big deal." He started. He didn't think this the best time to be going over it, but he was hardly in a position to refuse her. She deserved at least some answers. "It was mined by the ancient knights to power the Looking Glass, the door that connects our world to yours."

"Knights?"

He took another quick breath, still trying to calm his furiously pumping heart. And today had started so peaceful. Then this girl had landed in his office and everything had been downhill from there. "They were wiped out a long time ago by the Queen. She took the Looking Glass and of course…the Stone." He paused then asked tentatively, "How did Jack get hold of it?"

Alice held up her hand, examining the ring on her finger. "I don't know." She said again, her voice much softer.

Hatter looked at her, his breathing finally starting to calm down. "Look, I'm sorry I brought you down there. I didn't—"

Alice looked down at him and his jaw snapped shut mid sentence. Well. That could have gone better. He rested his head on the seat and waited for the lift to come to a halt. He wasn't surprised when she sprinted outside without a word or backward glance. Stubborn, headstrong, ridiculous…he pulled himself up right, buttoning up his shirt as he went to follow her. Why did he follow her? At that point, he couldn't say. Was he fond of her? Certainly. Did she annoy the hell out of him? Undoubtedly. But like it or not he was stuck with her now. Like it or not, he had to see her safely home. It might not make her forgive him for bringing her to the Library, but he still owed her that much. So he followed her, matching each of her stomps with an easy stride of his own. He shook his head, the pain in his shoulder ebbing considerably with each new breath. Where did she think she'd stomp off too? Silly Alice, she was stuck with him if whether she liked it or not.

**A/N: A much longer chapter, but a lot of this was action so I didn't have a lot of wiggle room to add new stuff. Next chapter will have more original stuff and some new dialogue. This one just had too much going on and I didn't want to make it any more dense by adding long paragraphs of back story or something like that. Hope you enjoyed ready. Comments are greatly appreciated. ^_^ Thanks for reading.  
**


	5. Stuck With Me

**FIVE**  
**Stuck With Me**

To her credit, when she did something she stuck with it. First the whole Jake thing and now with her determined pace to put as much distance between her and Hatter as possible. He strolled along, watching her storm down one hallway and then the next like she knew where she was going. Did she think she could lose him? Once they got outside she'd be clinging to his arm again, no doubt. In the hope that she'd walk off her fury eventually, he was quite content to follow and observe.

Alice finally found a passage that led outside, bounding straight ahead without a thought. Now he felt it was time to get her to listen to reason. Outside it was dangerous for her and she had to know that he was the only one on her side right then. Alice stomped her heeled boots right toward the edge of the walkway before halting. "Whoa," she latched onto a tree when she noticed the ledge.

"Where'd you think you're going?" He asked.

"Anywhere but here." She felt her way around the tree.

"There are no-go areas in this town." He reasoned, hoping that she would understand she was lost. He knew where things were, knew how to get around and who to avoid. She'd never make it on her own. He tried to keep her in sight, following after her as she rounded the tree, hands still holding it for comfort.

"Look, I don't believe this is happening." She stopped walking and he had to backtrack to keep her in his view with her walking circles. "This place. You…_people._ This is all too _weird_." Obviously, she was still riled up and the walk had done little to calm her down. Figures.

"Listen, just calm down." He soothed. "I'm going to try and get you home, okay?"

"Really?" Her tone dripping skepticism. She turned around and started circling the other way, out of his view again.

"Yes. Really." He started after her and then saw her rounding the tree where he had just been standing. "I could-could you just keep still." He stood in her path. Who was she helping by acting like a stubborn child? Not herself, that's for sure. Impossible, she was.

She stopped, long enough to look at him and spit in his face. Metaphorically. "And what's in it for you? Let me guess, you want your usual cut up front?" And they say the truth hurts. Well cause it does. She'd slapped it right on the button. Where was the profit for him? The one time, the first time in years, he'd truly wanted to just help and she was throwing it back in his face. He hadn't given her much cause to believe him, but it didn't make him feel any better about the situation.

Even with the Resistance. They'd tried to recruit him, but no, Hatter had to look out for number one. He'd agreed to help as the go-between. Sit pretty in his Tea Shoppe, over looked by the Queen's wrath, but still repaying that debt he owed and doing the right thing. Oh yes, he'd made sure to express how crucial his job was, how much help he could be. He'd lived up to half of that and even when he helped it was only when he found it convenient. Sometimes he doubted himself. Questioned which side he was truly on or if he really was just neutral. _There you go, Alice. You summed it all up nice and pretty. _And you know, he'd be damned if he was gonna let her get away with it. Oh, he was going to help her and he was going to do it because he cared about her and wanted to see her home safe. Because he was a good person, damn it. No payment for necessary. So there. She could choke on that.

"Look, I don't blame you for being angry." He started. "I acted…impetuously—" His white flag was raised and…

"Selfishly. You acted selfishly." And she tore it to pieces and threw his surrender confetti into his face. Wonderful.

"Whatever word you wanna…use. Let me make it up to ya'." _Please?_

She stopped yelling.

"Alice, this is a dangerous place." He said, thankful he could finally get a word out. "Trust me, you're gonna need my help." He waited. She considered, her eyes unflinching as they held him there, waiting. And waiting. And as he waited it occurred to him that trust had never been kind to him. He'd trusted people and that hadn't turned out well. Then people had trusted him and that didn't turn out so great either. You put your faith in people and they let you down. Alice held his eyes, searching there for what, he didn't know. But he hoped she would see that he meant it. He wanted to get her home and he wanted, desperately wanted, her to trust him with that. Because no one ever trusted Hatter, not anymore, and this girl was reminding him how much he missed it.

She finally broke her gaze, hand still clinging to the tree. He held his breath.

"Okay." She glanced up, her eyes less scrutinizing. "I do need your help."

He let out a breath. "Fantastic. You won't—"

"But that doesn't me I trust you." She gave a slight shake of her head. "Not yet."

His grin fell and his shoulders sagged, but he nodded. "Fine. Fair enough." He let out a sharp breath, disappointed.

She nodded, looking rather awkward. Her nail picked at the tree bark. "So…where do we go from here?"

His frown was prominent, his eyes dark and broody. He'd really counted on her and she'd…she…she…she was being unreasonable. He looked away from her because she looked too un-bothered about things and it made him feel worse. "At present," he started, "best if we get back to my Shoppe. Get us out of the open and somewhere safe till we figure out a plan."

Alice nodded. "Okay."

He stood there, trying not to fume too openly. "This way." And he stalked away. It never even occurred to him that he had done so in much the same fashion as Alice had only moments before.

* * *

Eventually, he had slowed down. She managed to keep up most of the way, only slowing down when a ledge grew particularly close. Her hands glided along the walls as if this might stop her falling. He checked on her, glancing behind him every so often to make sure she was okay and he kept her footsteps in ear shot, adjusting his speed so that she never got far behind. He was still a bit miffed, though.

"Any chance of grabbing some food when we get there?" She asked, hopping over a piece of rubble. "I could kill for a slice of pizza."

Despite his intention to remain grumpy, he looked behind him with a lopsided grin. "Don't know what a pizza is, but I can tell you right now, there's not a one in Wonderland."

She looked up, "I guessed as much. Just saying, it'd be really good right now."

He nodded. "We can get you fed when we get back to the Shoppe. It's not too much farther."

"Don't you have like…transportation? Vehicles?" She stopped and rubbed her palm on her dress, the skin a bit red from all the dragging.

"We have transport, yeah." He defended, a bit of pride for his world. "Not like that we can afford, though. And that's a sure fire way to get you noticed by the Suits, which is the last thing you want."

"And the Suits work for the Queen?" Alice asked, inching her way around a thinner ledge.

He held out his hand for her, huffing under his breath. She took it readily and he pulled her easily to thicker ground. "Yeah." He stopped pulling when their boots collided. She looked up, clearly feeling they were a bit too close.

"I see." She took a step back, fidgeting. Did he make her uncomfortable? His cheeky grin returned. "What?" She challenged.

He sighed. She had those lovely moments of vulnerability and then it's back to aggression. "Nothing."

She followed him again, hands groping the wall as they reached the last long ledge before his Shoppe. Unfortunately for her, it was rather narrow. She tried to pin herself to the wall. "This Looking Glass thing, is that the mirror I fell through to get here?"

"I'm guessing so. No other way into Wonderland. Least there hasn't been for a hundred years." He glanced behind him. "The Looking Glass is the only way to get you back home. And it is here in the city, but it's the most heavily guarded piece of kit in Wonderland."

"Well, I've got to find Jack first." She reminded.

It was time he cleared this up. He'd already explained that it'd be hard enough just to get her out. And then there's the fact that Jack was in the Casino. You don't get people out the Casino that's been taken in. Especially not an oyster. Just didn't happen. "Have you not heard a word I've said?" He stopped and faced her.

"Look, I don't know how he got mixed up in this, but he's not a thief." She picked at the ledge. "He was trying to surprise me or sweep me off my feet and so…somehow he got a hold of this ring and it has landed him in a pile of trouble." She sighed. "If it wasn't for me he would be home safe."

"How did he get a hold of it?"

"Well…" She reached around him for the ledge, clearly not comfortable with the subject. "I don't know." She spun with a flick of her hair and hurried along the ledge. "The point is I'm the only one who can get him out of this mess."

"And how'd you figure that out?" He wanted to know because he sure as hell couldn't see how she made that connection.

"Well, I've got the ring I can use it to negotiate his release."

Terrible, terrible idea. "Oh, no. No. No." He had to remind himself that she didn't know. She was just too ignorant of how things worked here. Because her idea, it was completely mental. Never work.

"No?" She halted, hair flipping as she spun to face him.

"No, you can't negotiate with the Queen, she's crazy." He explained. "You have to cut your losses and get the hell out of here while you still can."

"I can't just abandon Jack. He's innocent." As if this justified suicide. "Besides I like him." She added and now he'd had it.

"Oh, you like him." He wanted to laugh. Like? She _liked_ him? Priceless.

"Yes."

He walked past her. _I can't listen to this._

"A lot." She protested.

"Trust me, I know a thing or two about liking people and in time, after much chocolate and cream cake, 'like' turns into 'what was his name again?'" Just call it a few bad experiences and leave it at that.

"No. No. Not in my world. Look, I have a bad record with liking guys—"

"There's a shock." He spun on his heel and kept walking, listening to her stammer on behind him.

"And this is the first one that has meant anything." She twisted around a fern. She seemed particularly ardent that he understand this about her. "There's no way that I'm going to give him up now."

He had been listening to her, at first, but as they neared the Shoppe he began to get an uneasy feeling. He paused, something was amiss up ahead. "Stay close." He ordered as he moved in for a better look.


	6. Rabbit Chase

**SIX**  
**Rabbit Chase**

Suits, one too many for his liking, flooded Hatter's Tea Shoppe. He kept Alice behind him, edging closer to get a better view. He hid them partially behind the red telephone box.

"Did you see her? Huh?" The mechanized voice belonged to a man with a ceramic rabbit for a head and he was shaking down one of Hatter's customers. "Get outta here." The rabbit man threw his victim down the front steps and the poor man was rolling off the ledge before he could stop himself. What the hell was that thing?

"Hey you." Rabbit guy turned to another bystander. "Did you see her?"

At least Hatter didn't have to make a huge leap to know what they were after. 'Her' had to be Alice. Great. Just great. He hit his head on the telephone box. That was it. Jig was up. He'd never get his job back. He'd be a traitor to the Queen now. Because he was not about to turn Alice in to save himself. Hatter had done some low things in his life, mostly in the interest of self preservation, but he was decided on this subject. He tried to plan their next move, since they obviously couldn't continue with their current one.

One of the Clubs was talking to Ratty, this one a bit more rational and less about to throw people off the building. "Wait, wait." The Club clarified. "She told you she was Alice?"

He didn't need to hear any more. He could see Ratty's head nod and save his own neck. And people wondered why there were such trust issues in Wonderland. "You work with rats long enough and you turn into one, eh?" Hatter said. There was no real love lost there, but it still made him angry.

"What is that?" Alice was peering at the scene over his shoulder.

Hell if he knew. The thing didn't even have a proper head. But it had a thirst for blood, that much he could see. "Nothing I ever seen before." He answered as the man moved to the front steps. "Wait…" He squinted, trying to get a good look. "It can't be…" The thing reminded him of Mad March, the Queen's assassin. At least he was before she had him beheaded. March used to be Hatter's business partner. They ran the Tea Shoppe together at first, but March had always had a hunger for the more brutal arts. That, mixed with a healthy back-story of childhood trauma, and he turned into the perfect homicidal maniac. If that was in fact him, and Hatter seriously hoped it wasn't, then they were in trouble. The ceramic head swiveled toward them, as if it heard Hatter and Alice whisper from that far away. Then it was moving.

Alice had already started to leave and Hatter followed. His curiosity kept him glancing backward, trying to figure out if it was March or some other creation. Then he noticed that the thing didn't move very fast, but it was sure and determined to follow them. There was a purpose in each quick step and Hatter didn't want to meet the end of that purpose. "We should run." He said, lightly pushing Alice along. "Run." He shouted and they sprinted off.

Where? He needed a place to go. Somewhere to give them an advantage, because they'd never outrun that entire posse. Then he had it, it wasn't far and it might put some distance between them. "Quickly." He shouted, hand holding his hat in place as he ran. He slid as he rounded the corner. _Not too much further. _

The dock was just at the end of the tunnel and he waited for Alice, caught her and then pushed her ahead of him. "That way." He pointed. "Down here. My smuggling boat." He said between breaths.

He jumped inside as Alice began to untie it from the docks. He yanked the outboard motor's pull start, but the engine didn't turn over. "Hang on. There's a knack to this." He shook out his hands and tried one more time. "Which apparently I never learned."

Forgetting the pull start, he crawled over the seats and tried to start it with the key. The engine clicked but didn't fire. "Come on." He slammed his palm over the dashboard. Another turn of the key and still nothing. Giving it one finally go, and putting a little bit of prayer behind it, he got the engine started. Just in time, too. The Suits and that Rabbit head man had just reached the dock.

He barely had any time to savor their escape when Alice was on him about the what's-his-name. "Where is the Casino?"

"I already told you," He headed her off, "You can't negotiate with the Queen." Then he added, before she could argue, "But, the White Rabbit is a different kettle of onions. Perhaps they'll do a deal. It's a long shot, but it's the only one we've got."

He could feel her eyes on him. "We?"

"I don't know if you noticed, Alice, but my shop was ransacked." He said. "I'm homeless. I'm a target not only for the Suits but for the Resistance as well and there's only…so many places in Wonderland I can hide. The way I see it…I've only got one option."

"Which is?"

"Go back with you. To your world." It hurt to admit that, but he knew he had few other choices. He couldn't go back to the shop, not now. He knew he'd have to leave as soon as he'd seen the Suits on his porch. Hadn't actually accepted the fact until just then. And hey, it might not be so bad. They could…he liked to think they could be friends in her world, as he was her only one here. If she even wanted to see him again after he got her back safely. Still, he'd cross that bridge when he came to it. He glanced at her, not sure what she was thinking. Not sure if she hated the idea, but, he supposed, that didn't really matter. It was still his only option whether she hated or liked it. He really hoped for the latter.

Before either of them could comment further, he heard the instantly recognizable engine of a Scarab. That had been quick. Too quick. "Before we do anything we have to shake that royal flush." He started steering them toward the shore and out of open water. They were sitting ducks otherwise.

Hatter helped Alice from the boat and then hopped to the bank. He started grabbing branches and leaves and covered the boat. It wouldn't fool them, they'd find it soon enough, but it'd buy him some time.

He started up the bank after Alice. "Don't know who that weirdo is, leading the posse, but he's got one hell of a nose for blood." Hatter reached the top of the incline, standing behind Alice he looked out into the forest. "And this is the place to find it." As if on cue a creature roared in the distance.

"What was that?" She asked sharply.

"There's things in these woods that defy imagination." He answered cryptically. "Come on," he headed into the forest, "we haven't got much time." He didn't hear her footsteps behind him and when he turned around she was where he left her. She looked frightened and it was the first time he felt she had any real sense. He wished she was as fearful when making her ludicrous plans to reason with the Queen. He'd take the monsters over the Queen of Hearts any day.

"Look, we can't shake the posse. We can't fight 'em either. There's only one thing left to try." He smiled.

"What's that?"

"Lead 'em into a trap." This time she followed him.

They hadn't been walking long. He was trying to head in the direction of the roaring. If he guessed the source right, it was just the thing to contend with the Suits. The beast growled again and Alice grasped his arm.

"Did you hear that?"

Good, it sounded closer this time.

"Yep. You should find a tree that you can climb." His plan was rather reckless, but it was the only thing he could think of. It was dangerous and he didn't want Alice in the middle of it.

"What? Why?" She snapped.

"The trap we talked about?" He turned to her. "This is it. I'm the bait. Go." He headed in the direction of the growling.

"Wait. What is it? Tell me." And then she chased after him. Why couldn't she make things simple? Just once, that's all he asked. Just listen to what he said without arguing about it one single time.

When she caught up to him she grabbed his arm again. Not that it wasn't a nice feeling, the fact that she was worried about him, or so he told himself, but he wasn't doing this for her worry. He was trying to do what he set out to. "It's a jabberwock." He answered.

"What?"

"Alice, less of the questions. Just get goin'." He grabbed her shoulders and spun her around. Urging her to get out of there. Did she not think this was hard enough without her lingering there asking useless questions?

Just when he thought she had actually taken his advice and left she was at his side, nagging in his ear. "You're going to lead this thing back to the posse?"

He bit his tongue because at that moment, he could just scream she was so infuriating. "Yes. After he gets a good look at me. Now could you just please go."

"That's your plan?" She scoffed. Did she really want to argue about this now? Worst timing in the world, she had.

"If you don't—" He stopped before he could tell her exactly where she could shove her criticism. The Jabberwock growled again, and this time it was much closer. Twigs were snapping around them and he tried to see it through the thick growth of trees.

Another snarl, this one unmistakable in origin, and he and Alice both turned to face each other before turning behind them. The jabberwock had spotted them, leering closer as it rounded a tree. And the thing was even uglier than the pictures in his school books. Until then, he had never actually seen a live one and he couldn't say he was happy about it.

The thing glanced between them, as if deciding which one to eat first. "Run." He breathed and then he ran. In the right direction, toward the posse as was the plan. The beast roared and he could feel the ground shake beneath his boots as it gave pursuit.

Unfortunately, he noticed the tremors grow softer and quieter and then he realized it was chasing Alice. In the wrong direction. "Not that way." He groaned before chasing after them.

How ridiculous. One of the most feared creatures in the Wonderland and he was chasing after it like an idiot. He truly did not see his day ending up like this. Hatter started to fall behind, panic rattling his nerves. If he didn't reach them in time…

He sped up, sprinting through the trees and trying to keep them in sight. The jabberwock was easy enough to see, but it was that plum coat he was looking for. Alice still had a lead on it, but it was gaining. _Faster._

Something stopped it up ahead and he prayed it wasn't because it had caught its prey. As he got close he noted the thing had wedged itself between some trees. It snarled and wiggled to try and get to Alice. She was lying in front of it, staring up at that mouth and frozen. "Hey." He reached her and he couldn't remember ever feeling more relieved. He thought he'd be too late for sure.

Once he found his footing, he aimed a punch and hit the jabberwock right in the eye, sending it screeching and giving Alice room to get up. "Come on." He lead her away, thankful to have her in his reach again. And they ran, ran as fast as they could until the ground fell out from under them.

Winded, Hatter felt every muscle in his back tighten against the hard ground and he knew he had landed on some root or other. "Ow." He groaned, unable to move more than his head as the pain eased out of his back. He looked over at Alice, she looked no worse than he was, which was something. "You okay?"

"Just about." She said.

He made an attempt to sit up and then fell back down. Yeah, that'd have to wait a few more minutes. The muscles in his back were still in shock. A growl overhead had him freezing where he was. Just once that day he'd have liked something to not go from bad to worse. The ground shook and he stared at the entrance to the pit they had fallen into. "Stay still." He whispered.

The jabberwock poked his head into their hole, looking around. It let out huge guts of breath and Hatter fought the urge to gag. And he thought Ratty smelled. The creature poised over Alice and for several seconds, Hatter could swear his senses turned off, all but his sight. He could only watch as it dipped its head and impaled its jaw on one of the spikes they'd landed near. Only a handful of space between its teeth and Alice. With a snarl and a shake of its head, the jabberwock retreated. Hatter's head hit the ground. He didn't think he could stand much more of this. Forget the Suits and dangerous beasts, he'd nearly had a heart attack when he thought it might catch Alice. He considered how nice it would be to just curl up in that hole and never leave, but then Alice would probably insist she could go on her own and get herself captured. So he started to sit up, however much it hurt him to do so.

"Vermin."

_What now?_

"Saboteurs. Anarchists. I was this close to catching him." _I'll be damned._ Hatter thought the speaker looked like a knight, but…they were all wiped out. The man spread his hands a bit further apart. "This close." He amended. "Degenerate bagheads."

Okay, knight or no, this one was just a little bit off his rocker. Hatter climbed out of the pit, Alice in tow, facing the stream of insults with growing bewilderment. At the moment, he couldn't decide if this was fortune or misfortune.

**A/N: These more action-y parts are harder for me to add new material. I don't want to clutter it all up. I have some plans for extra material, few bonus scenes and all that. Thank you to my few (couple) reviewers. ^_^ It makes my day to read them and know people are actually reading his, haha. Thanks for reading. **


	7. Their Knight in Rusting Armor

**SEVEN**  
**Their Knight in Rusting Armor**

The barrage of abuse ended with, what sounded like, "Bugbashers." Whatever that meant.

"Who the hell are you?" Alice asked.

"I am a knight." And he puffed up his chest as he walked closer. "A white knight, to be precise. Sir Charles Eustace Fortheringay le Malvoy III." Hatter tried to remember the books he'd read as a kid, but he couldn't think of a knight in them that looked like Sir Charles. But, to be fair, hundred odd years was a long time, especially under the Queen's reign. When Hatter thought of the state of the city he had to admit the knight seemed to have held up better. After a pause that had Hatter seriously doubting the sanity of Charlie, he asked, "Who are you?"

"I'm…Alice." She replied and that got Charlie's attention.

"Alice?" Charlie leaned in, eyes alight, "The Alice? _The_ Alice?"

"No. Just…Alice."

"Just Alice…" The knight seemed to reflect on this and Hatter was still having trouble believing this Charlie was an actual knight. The knight seemed a few blackbirds short of a pie, in Hatter's opinion.

"I thought all you guys were wiped out years ago?" Hatter said.

"Well, you thought wrong. As you can see I am as fit as a butcher's dog." Butcher's dog? What the hell was he on about? Last butcher Hatter knew, well, butchered the dog. Hard times. Happened to the best of them.

"Are there any others like you?" Alice asked and he laughed a little.

"Certainly not." Charlie began to walk away, prattling on. "I'm a one off. My Nan used to say that if I was the only eligible bachelor left in the world," he strained to pick up his shovel. _Fit my eye. _"There wasn't a warthog or wallflower that'd polish my escutcheon." He laughed at his joke.

"No, I meant are there any other knights in these woods? Your…comrades in arms?"

"Heavens no. Are you mad? We were wiped out years ago." Charlie answered. Hatter couldn't help but notice that he'd just said the same thing and the knight had mocked him for it. But, you know, who's counting?

So… "You dug that pit on your own?" Hatter reeled back when this upset the knight and he came clamoring toward them, armor creaking and clanking.

"You think I'm too old? Well let me tell you something nug face, youth is vastly overrated. I may have put on a few years but I'm crafty. I've a very inventive and calculating mind stacked high with ground-breaking, state of the art ideas. I invent all sorts of things." Charlie took a breath and seemed to calm down. "The beehive mouse trap for instance. And this here pit, as you so rudely call it, is in fact my third attempt at the Gravity Assisted Snare Mark IV." He lifted his chin proudly.

Then his eyes trailed something they couldn't see and he was turning slowly away. Hatter raised his eyebrows. Yep, insane. They should leave. "He's mad as a box of frogs." Hatter said to Alice before turning to back to the knight, who had wandered a few steps away. "How the hell have you survived?"

Charlie held out his arms, spinning, his eyes focused on the canopy. Hatter looked up, but he saw nothing but leaves and sticks. Charlie set his arms down. "Hm?" Hatter was about to say, 'never mind,' but Charlie spoke first. "Oh, yes. I'm a knight." Brilliant. That answered the question in that it…yep, it absolutely didn't. Hatter's stare got just a little bit wider as his disbelief and confusion grew just a little bit stronger.

"And I'm an inventor, as I said, but if I'm honest it's strictly rather on a part-time basis." Charlie had wandered back toward them.

"You don't say." Hatter said.

"And I dabble in the," he lowered his voice, "black arts now and then." Oh good, and he was superstitious. Bloody fantastic. Hatter'd be laughing if it wasn't so sad. "Soothsaying." Charlie raised his hands. "Toe-nail readings…" _Toe-nail? _ _Oh good God. Don't think about it. Don't picture…ah, I did. I pictured it. Gah, that's gross. _

"Here let me show you." He reached for Alice's hand. "Give me your palm."

"Get off." Alice pulled her hand away, and Hatter noted it was the one with the ring as she pulled it to her side. His eyes fell on Charlie now. _Let's see just how aware Sir Charles Eu…Charlie really is. _

"What's that on your finger?" Charlie pointed down. The silliness had left his voice and Hatter got an uneasy feeling. He began to inch his way between them. Protectively.

Alice put her hand behind her back. "Nothing."

"It's the sacred ring." Charlie started. So, obviously, not as daft as he sounded. "The Stone of Wonderland. Our ring…"

Hatter put his hand on Charlie's rusting breastplate. "Don't get too excited, granddad. The ring stays on the lady's finger, okay?" But even as Hatter began to push the knight back a step, Charlie was dropping to his knees.

"It is meant to be. This time. This place. This meeting in the woods." Charlie's hands were clasped together as he kneeled in front of them.

"O-kay." Hatter guided Alice by the shoulder. "We need to get away from him or he's going to get us killed."

Alice shrugged off his grip. "But, maybe he could help us."

"Have you forgotten about the weirdo that's tailin' us? This…" He looked at Charlie, still yammering on about fates and such. "Freak show's gonna draw his attention for sure."

"This knight has survived out here for this long, maybe he knows a thing or two." She reasoned, although reason was hardly an appropriate word. You don't reason with a man who reads toe-nails. Just didn't happen. Even in Wonderland.

Before he could politely tell her she was out of her flipping mind, she was addressing Charlie. "Listen, Charlie, we have some very bad men who want to kill us and steal the ring. Do you know anywhere we could lay low for a little while?"

"The stars are aligned in a cosmic ray of hope."

_Thank you, Charlie, right on cue._ "And you want to put your faith in him?" Hatter asked again.

She seemed to think about her answer. "Yes." But apparently she didn't. "He might be nuts and a hundred and fifty years old and dressed like a car crash, but he's a survivor." How…what-in what world did that make sense? He was about to argue, but Charlie had stopped his chanting.

"And I'm not deaf." He stood regally. "Just Alice, I will be honored to escort you, your goods, and…" He sneered, "Vassal, to my sacred kingdom." He finished with a bow.

"Did he just call me a 'vessel'?"

Alice opened her mouth, but didn't actually reply.

"This way." Charlie called scooping up his shovel and heading off without a backward glance.

Hatter took Alice by the arm. "Hope you know what you're doing."

She looked at his hand and then into his eyes. "Yeah. I think I do."

"Think?"

"Hey, it's better than your plan." She gave him a small smirk. "Were you really just going to let that jabberwock chase you?"

He let her arm go, offended. "Maybe I was. And you don't know it wouldn't've worked. You ran the wrong way."

"Yeah, well what was the plan when it caught you?" She lifted an eyebrow, coy and oh so smug.

He glared, eyes dark and low. "Fine. But I didn't see you coming up with any bright ideas."

"I just did." She looked at Charlie, who gathered up his supplies and began loading them onto his horse.

Hatter followed her eyes and then turned back with a laugh. "Yeah, follow the crazy knight with the third eye. Cause that's not a path to instant death."

"Don't be so sure." She lifted her chin haughtily. "Sometimes people surprise you."

He nodded. "Yeah. They sure do."

Alice met his eyes again, but Charlie spoke before she could ask him what he meant.

"Are you two going to be much longer? I'm told you're under pursuit. Don't want to waste the day mucking about." Charlie had his horse by the reigns. Alice was the first to look away, walking over to the horses. "You're going to have to share." Charlie said as she approached, motioning to the only other horse.

Hatter cleared his throat and followed. Because, apparently, he went along with possibly horrible decisions now. Couldn't say that this morning.

**A/N: Yikes, Charlie is so hard to understand. Took me forever to get all the pieces of his rants down accurately. Anyway, hope you liked this chapter. Next one should have a lot more original stuff and some good Hatter/Alice moments. I mean, riding a horse together, if I can't come up with some cute flirty moments for that I don't think I should write anymore. I will also be including the "Comfy?" Extension to the scene and expanding from there. So, yep, thanks for reading and to those that follow this story or have left comments. ^_^**


	8. You Didn't See It?

**EIGHT**  
**You Didn't See It?**

The horse situation wasn't that bad, Hatter felt. Alice seemed more put off about it than him. She refused to be lifted onto the thing's back, but had accepted Hatter's offer of a hand when he had mounted first. She secured Charlie's net invention thing…it had a name, but Hatter couldn't remember it, around her waist and held it for balance. He didn't voice his disappointment about it.

Charlie sang as he rode. Hatter didn't recognize the tune. He was more interested in the net they were dragging, covering their tracks with sprouts of grass. "Even works over mud. Wiping the tracks clean away." He marveled. "Maybe Senile Sam does have a trick or two up his…escutcheon." He glanced behind him, finding this funny. Alice remained silent.

"You comfy?" He asked, knowing she couldn't be.

"No." She confirmed readily. "'Course not."

He paused. "Why don't you just lean forward and put your hands around my waist? And let my body take the weight?"

"Yeah, I'm good." She replied crisply.

My my. Someone was awful quick to say no. He looked forward with a grin. Didn't know why, but he felt much better about the situation.

He felt Alice shift behind him. "This thing was not made for two." She grumbled.

"Offer still stands. You'd be more comfortable—"

"Look, I got it. Okay?" Her voice was firm, but he only grinned wider.

"Okay. Okay." He couldn't stop. He'd tried, but he just couldn't fight that grin. Luckily, she couldn't see his face.

She went to adjust something else, her knee hitting the back of his leg. Then he had an idea. A very evil idea. One that he was acting on before he could think better of it. Hatter carefully jerked the reigns sideways and the horse responded. Alice was briefly thrown and her arms were squeezing his waist in less than a second.

"What the hell was that?" She demanded.

"Oh…squirrel. Just jumped out of nowhere." Hatter lied, then he pretended he could see it and he pointed with a finger. "Just scurried up that tree. You didn't see it?"

Alice's fingers pulled at his shirt, and she leaned her head in, eyes squinting into the distance. "I don't see anything." Even after soaking in the lake she smelled lovely.

"Really?" He smirked. "Cause it was right there."

He could feel her head turn, her chin hitting his shoulder now that she was pressed against his back. "There was no squirrel." She hissed in his ear.

"Sure there was. There's hundreds of 'em in here." He replied with a scrap of honesty. He just couldn't help himself. And, for the record, she still hadn't let go of him.

"Yeah, but you did that on purpose. With the horse." She argued.

Hatter opened his mouth. "I…I am truly offended."

"Shut up." She sent a smack straight to the back of his head. His hat fell over his eyes.

"Oy! Not the hair." He fixed his hat.

Alice let go of him after that, lips pursed. "Try that again and the hat goes over the side."

His jaw fell open. "You wouldn't dare."

"Try me." She challenged.

He bit his tongue. You don't gamble with the hat.

Charlie slowed down and cleared some low hanging branches with his arm. "Welcome. To the Kingdome of the Knights." He said and Hatter brought the horse forward, looking out at the scene.

"Well, well." In the books at the Great Library the kingdom had been a painting. A picture of majesty and wonder. He'd always loved those pictures. Made him feel like there was something better out there. In the city there was nothing but rot and the sorry lives of those who hadn't earned the Queen's wrath. Now, he could see that the once great Kingdom had aged, too. Like the knight that lived there. He saw the paintings in his mind now. It was sad, when he compared them. And he finally understood exactly what the Resistance was fighting for. They were fighting for those paintings. For the Wonderland he didn't know but for stories. Because those paintings were beautiful and the Kingdom before them had once been beautiful and the Queen had taken all that beauty and stuffed into a bottle with a cheap label. Hatter felt sick. He'd made his living selling those bottles.

Charlie began the descent, heading for the bridge they could see in the distance. Hatter turned his head away sharply.

"What's wrong?" Alice asked, as if she could tell something was.

"Nothin'." He said.

"Doesn't sound like—"

"Leave it alone, Alice." He urged the horse on. That wasn't fair. Alice wasn't the one he was angry with. "Sorry." He said finally.

"Don't worry about it." She replied, then she shifted and her one arm circled his waist.

"I thought you said—"

"Just shut up and drive." She snapped. He could be imagining, in fact, he was sure he was, but he believed she was trying to comfort him. Had he sounded _that_ upset? Who the hell cared. It was rather funny how easily it had made him smile.

**A/N: I know, it's a short one, but this is almost entirely my own. Again, the "You comfy?" part is an extended scene, but I took it from there. (The squirrel was all me. :P ) Anyway, hope you enjoyed what I intended to be some cute little banter. Almost done with Part One of the miniseries. Hopefully, I'll be working on Part Two by Tuesday. Thanks for reading. ^_^**


	9. Firewood and Fireside Chat

**NINE**  
**Firewood and Fireside Chat**

When it was time to dismount, he hopped down and then reached up for Alice but she was already swinging her leg over the other side. Well, that had been short lived. No more comforting half, not quite hugs, it would seem. He tied the reins on the post Charlie had stopped near.

"Before the war," Charlie began somberly, "Before the Queen of Hearts, this was once the greatest city in the realm. The Red King and his elected council ruled Wonderland with the wisdom of the ages."

"And the Hearts destroyed everything?" Alice asked as they worked their way through overgrown weeds and shrubs. Might have been a road once, but you couldn't tell.

"We lived in harmony for a thousand years, but when the Queen came to power, she just wanted to feel the good…not the bad." Charlie walked through the brush. "Believe it or not, this was once the throne room. Sadly, all that's left now…is the throne."

Charlie followed a path, no doubt one he created. His things, clothes, and other oddities were set up around the decaying throne room. Hatter was the last to enter the camp. The whole place had put a bad taste in his mouth. Brought up memories he didn't exactly feel like addressing right then. Charlie began to mumble, attending to his other inventions as if they weren't there. Guess that's what happened when you spent all your time alone. You forget what it's like to be around people. In a way, Hatter could relate.

No, he wasn't bat-ass crazy. But he'd lived his life for so long without a single true friend and now…well he liked to think they were becoming friends. Alice and him. Friendly. When he remembered why he'd lived like that, it brought up that bitter taste again.

"Hey, Charlie." Alice rubbed at her hands, wiping the residue from the rope away. The knight shuffled in her direction, head tilted in answer. "Got anything to eat?"

Food. Hatter hadn't eaten since that morning. How do you forget to eat? Charlie brightened, "Aha! I've just the thing. You scraps get yourselves settled. I'll take care of the provisions."

Hatter watched Charlie waddle toward the other end of the camp. "I really hope his idea of food doesn't match his taste in armor." He smirked. "Really old and slightly rusted."

He could see her fight the smile and do a very poor job of it. "That's enough. He's been nothing but nice to us. Give him a chance."

"Oh, I am. Trust me—" He bit his tongue. There was that word again…

Alice adjusted her coat, fidgeting. She was uncomfortable. This time it didn't make him want to grin like an idiot. "We should get a fire going. It'll be dark soon." She had walked near a burnt out fire pit. "Do you see any wood around here?"

Hatter stuffed his hands into his pockets. "No. But there's a hell of a pile of twigs behind you."

Alice spun around and looked at the ground. "Should we, I don't know, go collect some firewood? That's what they always do…" She seemed to be talking more to herself and he strolled closer.

"They?"

She looked up, "Oh," she tucked some hair behind her ear absently. "Uh, movies. You know, in movies when they're making camp someone always has to get the firewood."

"Movies, huh?" The word sounded strange.

"Yep." She added and he could feel the situation growing awkward.

"So, do you want to get on that or shall I?" He asked, meaning the firewood.

Alice shrugged. "We should…both probably go. I mean, we'd get it done faster that way."

Now he grinned. Devilishly. "Oh yeah?"

"Yes. Now are you going to stand there or help me?" Temper, temper.

"After you." He motioned for her to lead the way and she did. But not without some considerable agitated stomping. He'd never seen these 'movies' and he'd never had to make a fire before. He watched Alice for reference. She just stalked about, looking at her feet and stopping every so often to pick up a thick piece of wood. Easy enough. When both their arms were considerably full, they returned to camp and dumped the wood into the fire pit.

Alice set about trying to figure out how to light it, but Hatter had found the contraption connected to the fire pit more interesting. "What'd you suppose it does?" He asked, tone light and conversational.

She glanced at him, "I don't know. Ask Charlie, he made it." She crouched near the pit, pushing her hair out of her face. "Do you have a lighter on you?"

"A lighter?"

She sighed. "A match? Something that could create a spark?"

He smiled. "Why on earth would I carry something that could potentially start a fire on my person?"

Alice stood up now, not finding him amusing. "Well then how do you suggest we start the fire?"

"I suppose I'd just ask Charlie." The Knight had just started to approach, an apron tied around his waist and a huge plate of meat in his arms. "How do you start the fire?" Hatter asked, much to Alice's annoyance. He knew, because he could see it on her face.

"Hm?" Charlie set down the food near the pit and looked at them. "Ah. Yes. The fire." Charlie circled around and picked up a magnifying glass. "This is my Sunlight Refraction Burner."

"That's a magnifying glass." Hatter corrected. This made Charlie huff indignantly.

"Excuse me, but I believe I know what to call my own invention." Charlie scoffed.

"You invented the magnifying glass?" Hatter looked at Alice's glare. "What? I'm jus' saying."

Charlie held the 'Sunlight Refraction Burner' out over the pit and then glanced up at the canopy, aligning it until a beam of light hit one of the pieces of wood. He held it there for several seconds and nothing happened.

Hatter squatted down, his elbow on his knee and his chin in his palm and he watched with mock fascination. "Wow. Works great."

"Give it time." Charlie assured. "In life, certain things take time. Patience, my young vassal, is a virtue."

Hatter rolled his eyes and stage whispered to Alice, "Now I know why he's so old. Spent all his time trying to light a fire." Alice moved next to him for the express purpose of elbowing him in the arm. "Ow." He rubbed the arm.

The wood began to smoke and, eventually, a fire did start. When it did, Alice was quick to make note of it. "You should apologize." She whispered, hoping Charlie couldn't hear. Once the fire had stared he immediately moved to the contraption near the pit and started it up, blowing air over the flames so they grew more quickly.

Hatter was about to argue when he realized she was right. Sighing, he let his arms hang at his side as he rose to his feet. Charlie looked up from his food preparation and gave him a vacant smile. "Look, I'm sorry I made fun of your magnifying-er…Sunlight…burner thing. It's a…nice fire." He offered, feeling rather awkward. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been told to apologize. It didn't sit well in his mouth. He usually only said sorry when it would help the situation if he did so.

"Consider it forgotten." Charlie replied and then he began to sing to himself. Hatter raised his eyebrows as he turned to sit next to Alice by the fire.

"See, that wasn't so hard." She said.

"You've no idea." He confided. It had been hard. Everything had been since she'd showed up. The sun began to set behind them. Had it really only been a day? A single day and everything was different. He had no home. He'd spent years trying to keep both the Resistance and the Queen happy and had destroyed both those bridges in less than a few hours. And then there was Alice. He couldn't even begin to articulate all the havoc she'd tossed on him.

When the food was ready it had grown dark and she had accepted it greedily. Hatter was handed a plate but he barely touched it. He had too much on his mind to worry about eating.

Alice, however, dived in with abandon. He smiled when she pulled her face away from the slab of meat bigger than her head, mouth full and sauce on her cheek. He pointed to his own face, trying to alert her to this without spelling it out.

"Hm?" She leaned forward, mid-chew. "Something on my face?"

"Little bit." He said and then he watched her shrug and take another generous bite.

"No point cleaning it now." And she was right. Her face was a mess when she finished and he was astounded nothing had spilled on her dress or his coat. She accepted a piece of cloth, which Hatter wasn't sure would be much cleaner than her face given the state of everything else, but it did its job. She held up the now cleaned bone.

"Mm. That was good, Charlie. What was it?"

Charlie, who apparently owned two outfits: the armor and the long underwear underneath it. Unfortunately, he'd found the armor too cumbersome for cooking and had discarded it. Fortunately, his underwear had sleeves and long pants. "Barbequed borogove." He answered. "They're the devil to catch, but well worth the trouble. Don't you think?"

Hatter smiled at her. Considering she had worn half of it on her face, he guessed she would agree.

She looked at the bone in her hand. "When in Rome." She said as she set the bone near the fire. Whatever the hell Rome was.

Now that she was fed and Charlie had wandered off to who knows where, she looked at Hatter seriously. "What I want to know is how we're going to cut a deal with the White Rabbit."

He stabbed at his plate, standing. "I did say it was a long shot. But as long as you've got that ring, you've got a chance." He set his plate down near the rest of the dishes.

"You?" Alice cocked her head and then she was standing, staring at him. "What happened to 'we'?"

He sighed. As much as he wanted to avoid the subject, he wouldn't. That was the old him. The one that fled from trouble, from anything that got too difficult. "I can't leave, Alice. Wonderland's my home. I can't just abandon it, despite what I said. I have to stay and fight."

She seemed…almost disappointed. God, he wished. "What?"

"Seeing all this, look. This great kingdom and what…what's become of it. It's a wake up call, to be honest. My people," Yes, now they were his people. He hadn't realized it, not truly, until then. "I mean, the hundreds of refugees that are all hiding, underground…they're all counting on me." He had walked to her side of the fire as he talked, hoping she'd understand what he was trying to say.

"But didn't that Dodo guy say he was going to have you hunted down and killed?"

Why, yes, thanks for mentioning. "Yep." He conceded there was no way around that except… "But. I'm thinking if I turn up with the ring, he might forgive me." He could see it before the words had left his lips. She didn't understand. Like he'd betrayed her by just mentioning it.

"So that's what this was about?"

"Don't worry, I'll get you home safe and sound first." That had always been his intention. Nothing was going to change that. And once she was home, why shouldn't he get the ring and use it to aid the Resistance? She sure as hell wouldn't need it any more. He thought she'd be glad to be shot of it. It's not like he was using her. Why did she have to look at him like he was?

"And Jack?"

Damn it. Two words and he was back to impossible stubborn Alice who couldn't seem to know a lost cause when she saw one. He held the choice words that sprung to mind, huffing and pacing to keep from snapping at her. "You have to forget about Jack." Jack. Jack. Jack. He was starting to hate that name. No, he already hated it. "We'll never get him out of the Casino alive and trying is only going to set off alarm bells," She started to walk away and he raised his voice, "it'll make your escape impossible."

"Okay, so you were just leading me on back there?" She accused.

He could scream. He could just…she was impossible. Truly and utterly impossible. "Just believe me, it'll be suicide." Why was he even trying? It was like arguing with a brick. But he couldn't help himself. He wanted…he wanted her to understand. To believe him…to give up on Jack…as horrible as that sounded even to him. And, maybe, he was a bit jealous. His own family wouldn't have tried half as hard if it were him. He knew that for a fact. But she was ready to risk her own escape for a guy she only 'liked.'

She ignored him and his tone lightened. "Jack's a lucky guy." And he was. And Hatter couldn't fathom that he deserved her. He couldn't picture anyone deserving that kind of devotion…or maybe it wasn't so much deserving the loyalty but deserving her that he couldn't picture. Well, that had been a near 360 from how he started this adventure.

Alice looked up from her seething. "What?"

"Nothing…" he shook his head. "Look, it's late. And we all need our…rest. We can…argue about this tomorrow." He offered. "Yeah?" Despite how infuriating the argument was, he was looking forward to it. He hadn't experience half as much as he had in the span of time since meeting her. No Teas were needed. She ignored his truce, naturally, and he left her brooding with a shake of his head. Once away from the fire he moved to the edge of the tree line, looking up at the stars. He never looked at the stars.

It was nice. The quiet. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had a quiet night starring up at the sky. Which was because he'd never had before. His hat was in his hand and he turned it over by the brim, feeling fidgety. When he'd made his decision, the one about helping the Resistance, really truly helping, he'd had to face another voice that was all too loud, even after twelve years.

"You look out for you, cause that's all you can count on." The words had been spoken to him when he was ten and it had been his father that had said them. Back then, Hatter wasn't called Hatter. In Wonderland, it was natural for people to adopt their nicknames or title. Most did. But back then he hadn't been around to pass the hat, so back then he had gone by the name his mother had given him, David.

Not that he knew his mother. He'd no memory of her except that she smelled like strawberry jam. Probably why it was his favorite. But she had died, sad but life happens. Then it had been Hatter and his father. Two down-and-out boys with no scrap of decency between them and it was all thanks to his father. Cons and robbery had been the start of it. Hatter had been a boy, easily overlooked, and his father exploited that. They both had. Hatter never had much of a stomach for it, but it was that or an empty one so he had always done his bit. Grew up to be a decent actor because of it. Perhaps that's why he enjoyed a performance so much, reminded him of a time when he had been truly innocent. Innocent enough to believe that they were doing what was necessary. That stealing and conning were the only way they had to make money. Now he knew that to be complete rubbish, but as a kid, well, you trust your parents.

It had been no surprise when their last job, the last time Hatter ever saw his father, had gone south real fast. His father, as was true to his character, had refused to pick sides. He worked for neither the Hearts nor the Resistance. That final job had been against the Resistance. They had conned their way inside, tried to get their hands on some from the food stores. And his father had snuck out the supplies while Hatter kept them charmed with his bright smile and childish hat tricks. No one could resist a kid with 'a neat-o trick.' So Hatter had gathered the audience and his father had gone to work.

However, this time, not everyone was as charmed by the little boy with the big smile and the hat. His father was found. Things escalated. Guns were drawn and Hatter had taken a bullet to his right arm before they could escape. His father, thinking it too dangerous to stick around, had bolted. Fancy that, the coward couldn't even stick around for his own son.

When Hatter woke next, he was bandaged up and with the very people he had tricked. He had backed into the wall, afraid they would be angry and want revenge. He knew he would. But they hadn't been mad. "Caterpillar fixed up your arm." They told him.

"Who?"

"Never you mind." They hadn't trusted him. He didn't blame them. "Now, it's going to feel funny for a little while. You'll have to get used to it. He made…some adjustments."

They fed him and let him sleep and he had escaped during the night. For a few years he had made it on his own. Doing what he could, but eventually the Resistance caught up to him. Not out of anger, again, they didn't seem to find the sense in holding a grudge against a kid, so they had tried to recruit him instead. He was seventeen. He hated life. He didn't trust anyone and the only thing he kept of his father had been those words. "You look out for you, cause that's all you can count on." His father had lived by them and now he knew he would too. He had secured his Tea Shoppe shortly after and turned into a mule for the Resistance. Both sides of the field happy. They had started calling him Hatter, then.

So when he stood there, on the edge of Charlie's camp, he knew he'd made up his mind. His father had been wrong and he had been a coward to listen to him. But fear was a powerful thing and he never wanted to trust anyone when his own father couldn't even be bothered to be dependable. Now, though, now he knew he could get past that. Alice had shown him that much. He'd done more for her than he'd ever done for another human without any gain for himself.

Hatter settled next to a stick fence, hat resting on his knee. He wasn't comfortable, but he managed to fall asleep easily enough. His day had been entirely too exhausting.

**A/N: I know, two chapters in a few hours. Crazy. And this one is so long, too. But I was on a role. And I finally got to add the back story I had been saving. This is where I wanted it to go, felt it went with the mood and didn't disrupt the action. Then I also added the fluff bits with the fire wood and the magnifying glass. I also wanted to develop Hatter and Alice's relationship more. Wanted to show them falling for each other a little closer than the movie got. I think I did okay? No? Maybe. I just know that this is addictive to work on and I might even be posting the next chapter before I got to bed. I'd love feedback on my original stuff, just to make sure it's working and everything. It's can be hard to make sure things that are clear in your mind are clear to other people. And I hope that large chunk of pure narrative at the end wasn't too cumbersome to read. Anyway, thank you for reading if you made it this far. I'm going to start on the next chapter which, I'm thinking, will have a higher rating than the other chapters. ;) You'll see what I mean. Hehe. ^_^**


	10. Bastard Bird

**A/N: Woo! I'm on a roll. So, here is Chapter Ten and I want to say now, that the first part of this chapter is rated...let's go with T+. I don't think it quite deserves the M rating. Still, it's a bit suggestive, but nothing explicit. Nothing even really happens, actually, which is why I didn't rate it M. So, there's the warning. Hope you like the chapter. I don't know, I'm really liking how this is turning out and all. I'm coming up with ideas that fit into this so perfect as I'm writing and I don't even mean to before hand. But, okay, enjoy the chapter. ^_^**

**TEN**  
**Bastard Bird...**

Hatter looked around his office. He didn't remember how he got there, just that he was sitting in one of the chairs facing the front door. Frowning, he tried to stand but stopped when he noticed he wasn't alone. "Al…ice…" He had been happy to see here, until he noticed she was completely drenched. Head to toe, dripping wet. The sight came with a pang of memory. And not an unpleasant one.

"What happened to you?" He half laughed.

She didn't speak, but her eyes had that light in them, the one he saw when she felt like being particularly contrary. "Alice?" He blinked. "Something wrong?"

She shook her head, and then he noted that smirk. Just barely there, but he noticed it and a chill went up his spine. "Okay…something's wrong. You feeling okay?"

She took a few steps forward and he noticed that her boots were gone. The tights were there, but the shoes weren't. "You can say something any time now…" He fidgeted in his seat. He knew something was not quite right, but he didn't feel the desire to look into it too closely. Besides, the way her hair was hanging over her shoulder and how tight that dress was…hold on…he knew that her dress had flared at the end. This blue dress clung to her hips and upper thighs and was, well, scandalously short.

Had he wanted to say anything else, he was no longer capable. She kept advancing, eyes lowered and that smirk. Although he thought the temperature was most certainly on the rise, he could observe that she must have been cold. And there were the chills again.

His heart was beating. But that wasn't new. He'd only thought of it because it was pounding in his ears. And it was hard to breath, or no, but he was breathing slowly. Panting, almost.

Alice stopped in front of him and he tilted his head back to look up and into her face. Their knees were touching. "Okay, you can tell me at any time what's going on. Not…" he swallowed. "Not that I'm complaining." She didn't punch him or lash out or snap. Instead her hand went out and her fingers trailed down his cheek, gently down his skin. His eyes fell shut. "Not complaining. Definitely not complaining."

Her hand moved and she pressed her finger into his lips. "Shh." She leaned down. "You talk too much."

Hatter stared into her eyes. "I'll never talk again." He had always found her pretty. But he didn't know exactly when she had become beautiful. Heavenly, being another term. She held him with her eyes, as if he'd fall if she looked away. So he didn't see, but he could feel her weight crawling into his lap. One firm thigh on either side of his legs. He didn't know what to do, but let her. She seemed to be in the lead on this one. He chanced, tested, putting his hands on her waist. She didn't protest. He'd held her by the waist before, on the ladder, but somehow this was much more…intimate. You know, with her in his lap and all.

Something told him that this scene didn't make sense. Something told him that he didn't actually like Alice like that, that they were friends if anything. And then something told both of those other voices to shut the hell up. She lifted her hand over his head, taking his hat and setting it on her head. Okay, so normally he'd never let anyone touch his hat. He cared not so much right then. Especially when he realized she had removed it so she could take both hands and run them unhindered through his hair, nails scratching at his scalp as she nearly pulled his head into her chest.

_Don't speak. Don't speak. Don't speak. _He was definitely panting now. Squeezing her waist and running his hands up…up…she didn't seem to mind. She squirmed on his lap, arching her back into his grip.

He bit his tongue. He promised he'd never say another word and if talking would ruin this moment he'd be willing to sew his own mouth shut. So everything was making not one bit of sense. He'd deal with that later…after…holy shit. The implication sent a rush through his stomach. Alice leaned forward, her hands had been using his head as support her and now she looked down at him. And she leaned further and her lips parted and he wanted, so wanted, to kiss her. That he was about to seemed unreal. A bit too unreal. A bit…not normal. He thought he heard something in the distance, but he ignored it. Their noses touched and she tilted her head.

Caw. Caw. Caw.

No. No. No. He swear he could feel her lips right there, so close. So teasingly close. But it was too late. He jerked awake and was rewarded with a stiff neck from the way he had slept. Hatter looked at the bird in its cage. Cawing away like the little bastard it was. Then it occurred to him he'd almost had a sex dream about Alice and he decided it was best to just forget the whole thing. "What was that?" He asked as his senses began to come back to him. His heart pounding just a little less. As improbable as the dream had been, it had seemed real enough to his dream self.

"That's the early warning system." Charlie sat upright. "Someone has broken through the perimeter."

Hatter immediately looked to the bed Alice had been sleeping in. "Where's Alice?" Fear. Such total panic had him then. Charlie was babbling on, but Hatter ignored him. His heart was in his throat and then he felt like the floor had been swept out from beneath him. On a tree, hanging innocently, was the coat he'd given to Alice. No. That…impossible girl. "No." He said aloud, shaking his head. "NO." They would kill her. The Queen would have Alice's head without a thought. He only hoped she was smart enough to leave the ring. That would buy him some time. "I need a horse."

Charlie was still in hysterics, but had calmed down enough to follow Hatter to the horses. "W-w-which way should we go?" He asked, still in his underwear.

Hatter didn't stop as he prepared the saddle. "You don't have to come, Charlie. This isn't your fight."

"You couldn't be more wrong." Charlie scoffed. "You led the Alice of legend to me for a reason. Call it what you will, divinity, fate, an alignment of forces beyond mortal understanding. In time you'll see that I am the true paladin here and you…are merely a _harbinger_." Charlie's mouth hadn't slowed Hatter down for a second. He couldn't focus on anything except that Alice needed him. It didn't even occur to him that he had just told Alice how impossible it was to do what he was about to. He had told her over and over. 'You can't get into the Casino. It's suicide.' And here he was, readying to do just that without a second thought.

"Besides," Charlie continued as if Hatter gave one lick about what the old man decided to do. "You'll never find her without my help. Remember I'm also well versed in the…black arts." Hatter wasn't looking, but he assumed some lunatic theatrics followed those words. "We shall be guided by my psychic connection to the mysterious sinews that bind mankind to the outer realm." Charlie's voice had gone all low and mystical. There was some 'ah-ing' going on. Hatter was too busy trying to get out of there as fast as he could. With any luck, he'd find Alice before she gave herself up. That's why she had left the coat. It was partly a message to him, that she was doing this on her own, and partly because her plan was to stroll about with that oyster brand flashing clear as day to anyone that might turn her in to the Queen. Idiot, stubborn girl.

Hatter finally had the horse ready and was turning it east when Charlie called after him.

"You're going the wrong way, harbinger. We should go west."

"You go west. I'm going east." Hatter replied.

Charlie seemed genuinely confused. "W-why?"

"She's gone to the Hearts Casino." Hatter didn't wait for anything else, he didn't have time. He spurred the horse and headed toward the Casino, trying to come up with some sort of plan in case he had to get in. It took Charlie close to an hour to catch up to him. Hatter couldn't say he was happy when he did. The knight had immediately started carrying on about this and that. About what their plan would be. Hatter sighed. Fine. If he wanted to help, he supposed he should be grateful.

"Look," Hatter started, "our best bet is to stroll right on up like we're supposed to be there."

"Come again?" Charlie asked, not understanding.

"It's the Casino, right?" Hatter was talking to a Wonderlander now. Even one as spaced as Charlie would understand the true significance of the world. "The Suits keep that place locked up tight. No way we're sneaking in. But," he couldn't help but grin, "if we show up like we're supposed to be there we can at least get ourselves inside. They rely almost completely on their outer security. They don't expect people to get in that aren't supposed to."

"And what is our cover? Our guise to achieve this?"

Hatter looked ahead, the faint outline of the Casino rising in the distance. "I'll take care of that. Just let me do the talkin', got it?"

Charlie smiled. "Right you are."

Hatter glanced at his companion and let out a small laugh. He had a brief thought of Charlie doing the talking instead and didn't see it ending well for them. But, he supposed, the knight's heart was in the right place. Which was more than Hatter could say for himself a day ago.

When they neared the Casino they moved the horses into the cover of the trees. It was slightly out of the way, but would assure they could get closer without raising suspicion. When they reached the edge of the tree line, Hatter opted for continuing on foot.

As they approached one of the ground floor entry ways, the one used by the lower class servants and cleaners, Hatter reminded Charlie of the plan. "You let me do the talking, right?"

Charlie gave a dramatic nod.

"Right." Hatter nodded. What the hell was he going to say? An old man in peeling white knight armor and a good looking man, if he did say so himself, in a hat…they looked like a side-show. Hatter considered. Not a bad idea. He rubbed his hands together, preparing for the role. Then he set his winning smile and held out a hand to knock purposefully on the door.

**A/N: Part One completed. On to Part Two. ^_^**

**P.S. Was it too much? The dream part? I was dying for more interaction, romantic kind, between them but obviously couldn't put it in here without messing the plot and how things end. So, if Alice has a dream during the night, then Hatter can have one to. ;)  
**


	11. Robinson, Duckworth, and Sheila

**A/N: I decided to break this chapter in two, so the next part will be right away. ^_^ Thanks for reading.**

**ELEVEN**  
**Robinson, Duckworth, and Sheila**

If he had told anyone that he'd just knocked on the door to the Hearts Casino, they'd have laughed at him. He'd at laughed at himself. But there you go. He rapped twice on the door and when a rather disgruntled looking man opened it he gave him a chipper smile.

"Hi."

"Who the hell are you?" Asked Mr. Happy. That's what Hatter named him right off. The guy looked miserable.

"We're the new act." He began with confidence. "Robinson an'…Duckworth. He's Robinson." Hatter motioned to Charlie. "And I'm Duckworth. We're guardians to the mesmeric portals of the cosmos."

"Huh?"

"Stage hypnotists." Hatter clarified and it wasn't helping that he could hear Charlie snickering behind him. He was having trouble keeping his face straight, considering this was the biggest load of garbage he'd ever tried selling.

"This is good fun." Charlie chuckled. Oh, dear me. You think you're surrounded by professionals and you get Giggles the Knight breaking character after only half a minute.

Hatter chuckled too. "He means the act." Hatter amended quickly. He took of his hat and tossed behind his back, catching it easily. "It's, uh, good fun. When we do it." And for the finale, he tossed the hat straight into the air. No smile. He just stared at the man as the hat landed neatly on his head. Hatter gave it a slight adjust with his fingertip.

The man gave them a skeptical look, turning to ask someone if they were scheduled to be there. Oh well, they tried. Hatter readied his right hand. "You got clearance for stage hypnotists?"

Hatter whistled once to get the man's attention and then punched him straight in the face. Unfortunate, that, but they were inside and that's all that mattered. Hatter strolled ahead, leaving the back rooms for the main floor of the Casino. It was just like he remembered. All polished white and sanitary. He hated it in there. Smelled like chemicals. He noticed Charlie wandering and hurried to catch him. You needed to have a purpose or they'd question you. "Well we're in, but we don't have much time." Hatter said. He wouldn't consider that they were too late. He refused to believe that. "We should split up and search intermediate floors."

"Why?" Charlie asked and Hatter halted, spinning on his heel.

"Why?" He thought it had been obvious. "Because we don't know where she is."

"I shall reach into the mist to lift the heavy veil that shrouds the oracle." Charlie began to lift his hands into the air.

_Oh, not this again._

"Ahhhhhhh." Charlie put his fingers to his head and Hatter glanced about to make sure he wasn't causing too much of a noticeable disturbance. "Galadoon…" he massaged his temples, "tapoosh…"

"What you doing?" Hatter walked up to him, but Charlie had stopped talking. The next second he seemed to snap out of it and pointed down the hallway.

"Down here. Take the second left up the stairs that lead up to the third floor, then after the double doors take the third walkway on the right over the Fitness Center to Reception B and ask Sheila!" Charlie had said this all in one breath.

"Sheila?"

He hesitated. "Maybe it's…Shekina? Come on."

As the knight walked away, convinced that his powers had worked, Hatter had little other choice but to follow. It was the only lead they had, however unbelievable it might be. They took the second left and there were the stairs. They climbed those stairs to the third floor and then passed through the double doors. Then the third walkway they came to had them landing smack at Reception B where a purse-lipped woman in red and white sat behind a name plate that read, 'Sheila.' "I'll be damned." Hatter breathed. They hesitated before approaching, the receptionist Sheila busy buffing her finger nails.

Hatter could swallow his pride. For Alice's sake. "Okay, Charlie, what now?"

Charlie put his hands to his temple, groaning and massaging in small circles. "The mystic cosmos are speaking…"

"Yeah, and what're they saying?" Hatter was anxious. He was willing to trust Charlie, but he wasn't used to methods that took so much stalling and waiting. "Come on, Charlie, Alice doesn't have much time."

Charlie glanced sideways at him. "I am at the mercy of the psychic channels." He responded curtly before going back to his 'ah-ing.' Hatter huffed, scratching at the back of his head as he nearly started pacing. Sheila wouldn't be occupied by her nails forever and some Suits could come round a corner any minute and find them suspicious. Plus, Mr. Happy was only unconscious. When he woke up, he'd alert security real quick.

Then Charlie paused. He strolled up to the desk, before Hatter could ask what he was doing. One hand still to his temple Charlie looked down at Sheila. The woman gazed up at him with all the interest of an underpaid receptionist who would rather be absolutely anywhere else. "The Truth Room, please."

Hatter walked up behind him, flashing a disarming grin. Sheila looked at him, then back at Charlie, then rolled her eyes. "Down the hall. Second left. Third door."

"Thank you, madam." Charlie bowed and then was being dragged by Hatter before he could say anything else. Hatter glanced behind him once, but Sheila went back to examining her sharp nailed fingers.

Second left and then the third door. The label said Truth Room, but the question now was whether Alice was inside. Charlie marched straight up to the door. "The divines are speaking. Inside the room, is our damsel."

"That's all I need to know." Hatter reached for the handle, but was smacked sharply by Charlie. He instinctively pulled the offended hand to his chest. "What'd you do that for?"

Charlie began to place his hands on the door. "The door. It is connected to her mind…to break the link would break the Alice."

"Uh….okay, right. So how do we get her out of there?" Hatter had no idea what Charlie was talking about, but if it risked hurting Alice he wasn't about to take a chance.

Charlie felt his way along the wall, rounding a corner and stopping at another door. "In here." He pushed the handle and the next thing Hatter knew they were standing in what appeared to be the inside of a house. He spun around, looking at the vacant room with agitation.

"She's not here. Where—"

"Patience, my young Harbinger." Charlie scolded. Hatter was getting ready to throttle him. If this all turned into some wild goose chase and they were too late to save Alice…Hatter ran his hands over his face. Now was not the time. They weren't beat yet.

"First off, stop callin' me Harbinger, alright? Second, we went through the door, now where is she?"

There were other doors in the room, but Hatter had no way of knowing where any of them led to. Then he thought he heard voices and he turned toward a set of double doors. Charlie was examining the walls, paying little attention. He stared at the door. If Alice was in here…those voices might be from the people holding her. But they might not. She might not even be anywhere near there. Charlie could have been wrong.

"Damn it." He huffed and he slid the doors open, nearly falling before he realized there was no floor on the other side. He caught his hat and set his feet firmly on the ground.

"Hatter." Alice looked up from a desk, screaming his name and though he was glad to see her, indescribably glad, his attention was turned to the huge faces in the window. Okay, he wasn't gonna ask.

"Who's that?" The face yelled. "Go away. This is a private session."

Hatter pushed the doors the rest of the way and refocused on Alice. She must have been standing on a ledge, because there was no flooring that he could see. She must've been terrified. He held out his hand. "Jump."

It didn't take her long to step on the desk and jump for the chandelier, swinging into his arms. He caught her and then held her at arm's length. She wasn't hurt as far as he could see, which means they hadn't been too late.

"How did you get in here?" She stammered.

"I dunno. Ask Charlie." He said truthfully. The knight had come through after all.

Charlie was still inspecting the walls. "Believe it or not…we're in your head."

"What?" She snapped, clearly confused.

"Don't ask." He said, because he had no explanation to give her.

"Sound the alarm!" The faces outside continued to yell. "Call the guard!"

Moaning like a dying cat, Charlie eventually let his hand fall on a piece of wall and it swung open. Hatter and Alice were already sprinting through it, Charlie shouting something unintelligible as they left. Hatter tried to lead them back the way they had come, but the stairs they had used now had Suits occupying them. So Hatter changed direction and went down the next flight he saw. This was the hard part, the getting out. He pushed Alice in front of him, Charlie huffing and puffing on the stairs. Where they ended up was the main entrance. And probably the worst way to escape ever. He slid to a stop on the slick floors when a wall of Suits blocked the front doors. He caught sight of Charlie running onward and started to follow, noticing the elevator and hoping they could get the doors shut in time.


	12. Jack Heart?

**A/N: Just a quick note, the bit I added about the elevator, that was just because there was really no way they would have gotten in there without difficulty. The Suits were all right there and had obviously not entered the lift because the Director told them not to. That was my opinion and I thought I'd at least offer some sort of better explanation for that scene that still achieves the same result. Anyway, enjoy the chapter. ^_^**

**TWELVE**  
**Jack Heart?**

Hatter followed Alice inside the lift and then a Suit had him by the jacket. The doors were starting to close, but the Suits were still fighting their way in. Hatter put a hand over his hat as he struggled against the man pulling him out of the lift. It was Alice that saved him, sending her palm hard into the man's chin. Hatter fell forward and Alice kicked the next Suit to try and squeeze through the doors. Finally, the lift had closed all the way and no Suits had made it in.

Alice stared at the doors, panting. "Aren't these things supposed to automatically open when they hit something?" She looked at Hatter, who was fixing his collar. He didn't know how lift doors worked in her world, but once you got them closing here in Wonderland they closed, whether you were still between them or not.

"No. Why would they do that?"

"It's a safety feature." She yelled as Hatter reached around her to get the lift moving. He hit the highest number he saw. He rested his hands on his sides, catching his breath. She immediately began to question his choice, he'd only just hit the proper button. "Up?" She yelled, forgetting the lift doors. "Why up?" She demanded.

"Do we have a choice?" He retorted.

"Alice of legend," Charlie started, "your presence in this world is no accident. You are here for a reason." Hatter felt his head pounding. He could only take so much at a time.

"Please, Charlie, just plain Alice." She corrected.

"Just Plain Alice, I will stand at your side, shoulder to shoulder, knee to knee…"

"Charlie." Hatter pleaded. "Now's not such a good time."

"You guys shouldn't've come." Alice interjected. They were both still trying to catch their breath. "You could get yourselves killed."

"Did you give the ring up, Alice?" He asked, knowing that it was their only chance at getting her home.

"Look, I had things under control." She argued.

"You tried to cut a deal with the Queen, didn't ya?"

"I was getting close." Who was she trying to fool?

"Getting close?" He scoffed. "Maybe I'm wrong but negotiations didn't appear to be going to well."

"Well I need more time." She said and he felt his sanity slipping. Could she make sense, just once. That's all he asked. For her to see reason and not be such a hard-headed child.

"For what?" He demanded. "Do you really think the Queen is jus' gonna send you and your boyfriend home?" She needed to snap out of that delusion.

"No." She said, and he thought he might have heard wrong.

Was that her agreeing with him? "No. Of course not." He continued, still worked up.

"Because he's her son."

She avoided his eyes, looking at the door. "The prince?" He clarified. "Jack Heart? Jack Heart is your boyfriend?"

And before he could properly process this information, they had reached their floor. He wasn't about to let it go, but there were more important things like living he had to deal with. There were some Suits on the roof, obviously not aware that the alarm had been raised. When they saw the three of them leaving the elevator, the Suits' suspicion was immediately sparked. Hatter ran forward, throwing a punch at the first Suit he came to and imagining that his name was Jack.

The man caught his arm and used the momentum to spin them around. Hatter threw another punch, but it was blocked and the Suit aimed a hit at the side of Hatter's face. He fell sideways and then was pulled upright by his jacket. Not the jacket…

He was punched in the face and forced backward, against the cement barrier that stopped him from falling over the side. The Suit had him by the neck, forcing him backward. His hat had fallen off between one of the punches to his face and meeting the ledge. The Suit had Hatter's neck and left arm, but that meant his right arm was free. He hit the man in the gut and the grip on his neck released. Hatter grabbed the Suit by the forehead and sent another quick blow the man's back, right at the shoulder blade and was rewarded with a crunch. He wiped at the blood on the side of his mouth and picked up his hat.

Tossing it into his left hand, he waited till the suit had gotten half-way back to his feet before finishing him by winding up and sending his arm straight into the man's head. The Suit fell backward, not likely to get up any time soon. Hatter turned on his heel and flipped the hat back into its proper place. The second Suit was on his knees, Charlie standing over him.

"Bow to the hand of Diocles." Charlie set his fist down square on the man's head. Hatter steadied himself, the hits he took to the head made the roof spin slightly, but he was clear enough after a second.

When he ran over to Alice and Charlie she headed him off with a, "What now?"

"We get on one of those." He pointed toward the Flamingo Scooters. He'd never ridden one, but he'd seen the Suits do it and he knew they were meant for flying. "Get on."

"Articulated birds of the Imperion. What genius." Charlie marveled.

Hatter didn't give a fig about what kind of birds they were, just that it would get them out the Casino and away from the Suits.

"These things fly?" Alice asked.

"We don't have time to think, Alice, just get on." And by 'think' he meant 'argue' which she did anyway

She stepped to the edge of the roof and looked down before retreating. "I am not getting on that."

"You don't have another choice." He reasoned, already sitting.

"_You_ don't understand, I am not getting on that." She snapped.

"It's perfectly safe…" For people who knew how they worked or how to fly them. "Safe-ish."

She was not ready to listen to reason. He really wanted to understand her fear of heights, but honestly, it was ride or get captured. It wasn't a hard choice. "I have a thing about flying." She hollered, like he could change the situation. What the hell did she want him to do about it?

More Suits entered the roof, as would happen. They started shooting. "Yeah? I have a thing about bullets." He'd already been shot twice in his life and he was not about to let that turn into three. "Look, I'll do the flying all you have to do is hold on?" Her head whipped around, in the direction the Suits were emerging. "Look at me," he reached for her arm and got her to look back at him. "I wouldn't let you do it, if I didn't think you'd be okay." Bullets hit the cement and stone around them, apparently, the Suits were horrible shots. Lucky for them.

Alice gave him a nod and then climbed on behind him. On problem down. One left to go.

"How do you get it to fly?" Charlie asked for him. It wasn't like they had time to get out the manual. The knight stuck out his hand and touched the red light on the neck, sending his scooter racing off into the air.

"Oh, like that I suppose." Hatter remarked as Charlie grew smaller into the distance.

"That's fast…" Alice cried in his ear.

"Oh yeah." He didn't want to give her time to rethink their escape. "Hold on." Was her only warning before he hit the ignition and inertia had them nearly flying off the back. Wind whipped at their faces. Alice had no choice but to hold on to him, there was little else for her to hold on to. He followed behind Charlie, the knight having a good lead on them.

"I suppose it's his lofty airs and graces, huh?" The prince. It was just his luck that her boyfriend would turn out to be the bloody prince of Wonderland.

"He doesn't have airs and graces." She replied.

"Really. Well what then?" He pressed, not that it was the best time to be asking her that. He hadn't liked this Jack very much from the start, Alice being entirely too fixed on him, but now that he knew it was the prince…well, he was feeling rather inferior by comparison. Not that there was any reason he should compare himself. Hatter wasn't in a competition with Jack, but he still felt like he had to win.

"Look, just shut up and drive." She snapped, just as she had on the back of the horse. Seems little had changed since then.

When they caught up to Charlie, he seemed to be having the time of his life. "We are angels! The wind and clouds at our command. Oh, heavenly joy."

It wasn't long before the Suits caught up to them. "Aces." Hatter said with a look over his shoulder. Two of them, with their guns drawn and pointed ahead. They didn't waste any time trying to shoot them down. Charlie was the first one hit.

"I'm going down." He said as black smoke trailed behind him. He hit the lake and disappeared.

Now, they were the only targets. Hatter knew it was only a matter of time. "Alice. Hold on." He instructed. And then the most either of them could do was scream as their engine was shot and the lake rose up to meet them.


	13. Yes, Let's Discuss Right Now

**A/N: Another chapter split. It would have been too long otherwise. The next one will be up tonight. Hope you like it. ^_^**

**THIRTEEN**  
**Yes, Let's Discuss this Right Now**

Hatter's first thought, upon crashing violently into a wall of water, was that it was freezing. For several seconds he didn't know up from down and he kicked and twisted until he had the surface above him. Once his head was free of water, he took a grateful breath of air. Splashing to keep himself up right, he looked around for Alice. She surfaced a few feet from him, sputtering. Once he knew she was okay, he looked for his hat, which had begun to float away from him. He swam and got it in his hand before trying to locate the closest bank to swim to.

Alice growled beside him as the water grew shallow beneath them. It had only taken ten minutes to get to where they could at least touch the bottom. Now they were up to their necks. "That's the second time," She spit water from her mouth. "I've fallen into this damn lake from way too damn high."

Hatter wiped his eyes, water falling into them. She sounded angry. Not that he blamed her, but at least the Suits weren't following them anymore. He saw that as a plus. "At least we got you out the Casino. And the Suits aren't tailing us at the moment." He offered as they fought to walk against the resistance of the lake. He was submerged up to his shoulders.

She tripped and went falling forward, swimming a bit before standing again. "Well there's that." She agreed, but begrudgingly.

The water was to their knees and they were almost to shore. She splashed ahead of him, slowing only when her boots were free of the waves. Hatter stopped, still up to his ankles in lake water. Alice leaned to the side, grabbing a handful of her hair and squeezing the water from it. Suddenly, he had remembered the last time he'd seen her in that dress, dripping from head to toe. He tried to avert his eyes, but she was staring at him over one bare shoulder.

"You coming?" She called and he looked forward before dipping his eyes back down toward the less attractive water.

"Yep…" He started moving, eyes downcast. When he reached her, she was looking at him with suspicion.

"What?"

He looked into her eyes and thanked every deity in the book that she could not read his mind. "Nothin'." He shook his head. "We should…we should—"

"Find Charlie." She finished.

"Not what I was thinking, but okay." She hadn't heard him because she was racing ahead, calling for the Knight.

"Charlie!"

"If he's made it there should be some tracks." Hatter observed, but Alice didn't want to listen to him.

"Charlie!" She screamed even louder.

"We're sitting ducks on this beach." He observed. "Where's the ring?" They needed to keep it safe. He'd be better able to do that if he was in on where she had hidden it.

"Safe." Her tone was crisp. He could feel her accusatory stare, even though he was behind her. Because she was on a mission, or at least she was storming up the beach as if she was.

"Where?" He asked innocently. And when she didn't reply he knew exactly why. "You still don't trust me after I jus'…I risked my neck getting you out of there." He wasn't looking for thanks, but it bothered him that she was acting like he hadn't done just that. Like he hadn't just braved the bloody Hearts Casino just for her. Did she think he did this every day? He was a fugitive because of her and, no, he wasn't trying to pass blame. He wanted to thank her for the giving him the wake up he had desperately needed, but that didn't make the sacrifice any less significant. One day. One day and she'd dug in her heels and ruined everything he knew.

Caring about people? Did she think that just came naturally to him? No, she probably didn't think he truly cared at all. But he did. Too much. So much that it made him sick in the best way. He'd nearly died more times than he could count. Did she notice any of that? How could she possibly still believe he was just using her? He didn't care about the ring, not really. He cared about what it could do both for her and for his home, because _he_ believed that they were on the same side. Alice seemed obstinate about going it alone.

"Why _did_ you risk your neck?" She asked, voicing exactly what he knew she had been thinking. And it should have been the last straw, the grain of sand that tipped the scale, the time to give up on her when he obviously had no way of getting through. Oh, but he wasn't about to do any of that. Quite the opposite. _Okay, Alice. Challenge accepted. Now who's the more stubborn?_

"Unbelievable. Why you being so ungrateful?" He demanded, because he wanted to know. He needed to know why he seemed unable to do anything right for her when he was trying so hard.

"Look, I don't blame you. Your people need you. And the ring may make all the difference."

"Is that why you think I did this?" He was astounded that he was even still sane anymore. "So I could get my hands on the ring?" It was almost funny, really. He'd avoided reliance of any kind. Didn't want it and didn't want to give it. Now he was practically groveling at her feet, begging for Alice to just trust that he had her best interest at heart, that he was on her side, and she wouldn't budge. And so this is what he had become. The man who passed the hat, who passed responsibility, finally ready and even demanding it from this silly woman who shoved it all back in his face. And perhaps…maybe he deserved it, just a bit. To be honest, she did have reason to doubt him, though he felt he had made up for that ten times over.

"I respect that, I mean, it just shows that you're a man of integrity after all, but first I need to use it to get my father out."

Wait…"Your father?" She turned to look at him now. Almost grinning, despite how angrily she had been stomping just a few seconds before.

"He's here." She stated and he didn't know what in Wonderland she was talking about.

"I don't understand." Understatement.

She pulled something from her pocket. "Jack slipped me his watch." She sounded so expectant, so hopeful. And he could tell how much this meant to her. She turned the watch over in her hand. That tone in her voice almost made her sound like a child. A proper one, the kind that loved their parents unconditionally. He'd sounded like that once. "R. H. Robert Hamilton." She stared at that watch and then sent those steely blue eyes on him. "I remember this watch…I-it's his for sure. Look," She stepped toward him. "It is stuck on the exact date and time that he disappeared. March 23rd. He's in the Casino somewhere." _Who're you trying to convince, Alice? _She looked up at him, her eyes almost giddy with hope.

But he had to tell her the truth. "He's lying." Hatter watched her crumble. Not physically, but her emotional state was toppling over. Then he realized that she was only tough on the outside. Inside, she was just another house of cards, easily knocked down by the slightest breeze. Dare he say, fragile.

She turned away from him, "Jack took a big risk passing this to me."

"And you believe him?" Just like that. Jack lied about who he is, which Hatter had never done, and she still hung on to her faith in him. And the jealously of it nearly crippled him.

"Why wouldn't I?" She argued.

"Because he's lied to you about everything."

"He had his reasons."

"I'm stunned." Truly. "Why you even defending him?"

They were trudging blindly down the beach again. "Because he's trying to help me." _So am I, you blind impossible woman._

"Really? Well let's just think about that." He grabbed her arm and forced her to look at him again. "He took the ring from his mother. He gave it to you. Why? It made you a target, Alice."

"Well, he wasn't expecting me to follow him. Look, _I_ screwed up brining the ring here."

His voice was rising, he couldn't help it. "And he blames you for that?"

"No." She paused, her argument faltering. "Not exactly." She turned away from him.

"Why's he even…going 'round pretending to be someone else anyway?"

"He's hiding from them."

"Why?"

"I DON'T KNOW." She spun on her heel, screaming at him. They paused. Let the tension cool down a bit. "He's engaged." Alice said finally. She didn't look at him, but she had told him. He didn't know why she had mentioned it. It didn't help her case for Jack. "To a duchess."

And then Alice held her chin just a little higher and he felt so sorry. He could tell she was hurt by how much she was trying to hide it. "So he's two-timing you."

"I don't think it's like that…" She finished, but this didn't hold much of her former fire. Was her faith in Jack waning? He desperately hoped so.

"And now all of a sudden, he tells you that your father's been in the Casino all this time, does that not seem a little bit fishy?" He had her attention now.

"What'd you mean?"

"It's not a coincidence." He started and he was just about to finish that thought when a round of 'Hey, nonnie nonnie' broke out further up the beach. It was the first time Hatter had been relieved to hear those words.


	14. Give Him a Chance, for Heaven's Sake

**FOURTEEN**  
**Give Him a Chance, for Heaven's Sake**

"You hear that?" Alice had turned around, toward the sound of the singing.

"I don't believe it." He said, because he hadn't held much hope for an old knight in armor swimming well over a hundred feet.

When they found him, Charlie had already removed his armor, set up a camp fire, and had the pieces of his clothes drying on sticks. Hatter didn't know how long they'd been arguing, but he didn't think it had been that long.

Alice rushed forward, hugging Charlie tightly. "I was just about to go back in the water and look for you again." He said as he returned the hug. And he held her there until it grew rather awkward. Hatter could hear Alice giving quick comments of 'yep' and 'okay' as Charlie patted her back for the third time. Hatter fought the urge to laugh at her discomfort.

"How'd you get ashore with all that armor on?" Hatter asked when they finally broke apart.

"I'm a knight." Charlie answered, as that was always the answer with him.

With Charlie there, there was less of a motivation to continue their previous argument. Hatter flipped his hat back onto his still soaking hair. "We should get off this beach before we get spotted."

"No."

He halted in his tracks and spun around. "No?" Annoyed was an understatement. What did she have to protest this time? That Jack would keep the Suits from spotting them with his super powers? That he'd order his mother to call off the search for the most important object in Wonderland? Fat chance.

"Listen guys I'm really grateful for what you did…getting me out of the Casino, but I have to go back." Even Charlie let out a groan.

"Why are you still hooked on Jack?"

"I told you, he was trying to help me."

"Really? Cause it sounds to me like he was usin' ya."

"And you're not?" And there it was. He swallowed his next words, knowing they'd only fall on deaf ears.

"Don't you care what's happenin' here? All the people's lives who are getting ripped apart by the Queen?"

"I do, I'm one of them—"

"Then give the Resistance a chance." He pleaded, because he knew his best bet to keep her with him, to get her to trust him, was if he got her what she wanted his way.

"I met those guys already." She raised her hands and backed away, obviously remembering the whole 'nearly getting shot' thing. Water under the bridge.

"One arm of the organization that was. We get to the top man, he'll help us." _He helped me, a boy who'd conned him and lied, but he still fixed my arm when I might have lost it otherwise. _Hatter may not have held much esteem for certain members of the Resistance. Dodo, came to mind. They had never gotten on very well. But he had always had respect, almost adoration, for the leader. The man responsible for healing his right arm and making it much improved, if he was honest.

"You know him?"

"Yes." He answered immediately. "No. Not exactly. Nobody knows his true identity, but he goes by a code name…Caterpillar." She didn't immediately start hollering at him, so he decided it was safe to continue. "Give me a few hours. I'll slip back into the city and I'll make contact. You can...you can stay with Charlie in the fortress, you'll be safe there. If I'm not back by nightfall…do it your way."

Alice considered. And she took her sweet time with it, too. Hatter was standing near Charlie, not able to stomach just watching her stand there, deciding whether or not she should give him that chance. Finally, Alice joined him by the fire.

"Okay." She said stiffly.

Hatter nodded. "Okay." And they were both thinking along the same lines. She was telling him she would give him a chance and he was replying that he wouldn't let her down. Somehow, they both understood.

Now decided, he hesitated. "I'll…I'll see you and Charlie off first. My boat's in the same direction."

She nodded. "Yeah."

Then Hatter looked at Charlie. "Have you noticed he's more often with armor off than on?" Alice caught a laugh in her fist, almost snorting beside him, and he grinned. Without taking his eyes off Alice, he spoke to Charlie. "Hey, White Knight."

Charlie turned stiffly.

"How 'bout we get dressed now? We're too _exposed_ out here." Alice didn't seem to notice his staring, and her lips were quirked at the corners as Charlie began to dress. Hide it all she wanted, Hatter knew he'd made her laugh.

They made it back to the forest without detection. Once under cover, Hatter's nerves settled. They kept the lake in their sights, so that Hatter could find his boat and get back to the city faster. Charlie, who apparently had a special whistle for the horses, had used it and claimed they'd find them shortly.

"They do always turn up eventually." Charlie had mumbled. Hatter shook his head and then he noticed Alice smiling at him.

"What?" Hatter asked, genuinely confused but loving that her smile was directed at him.

Now _she_ shook her head. "Nothing."

"That smile's not nothing." He laughed, "Come on. What is it?"

She eyed him and then glanced back at Charlie. "Just looks like someone's growing a bit fond of a certain knight…"

Hatter adopted an offended look. "I'm not growing fond of anyone."

"I see how you look at him." She teased. "Don't deny it. You like Charlie."

"I-I, he's alright. Okay?" He defended.

"Ah, so I was right? It was a good idea to go with him." She bit at her tongue as she peered slyly over her shoulder. All the confidence of someone rubbing victory in the face of their opponent. And it was incredibly sexy.

He smirked. "It's about your only good idea, so I'll let you have this one."

She stopped walking and lightly punched him in the shoulder. "Don't forget I can kick your ass."

"Oh, really?"

"Of course I could. I teach children who could kick your ass."

His jaw fell open. "You teach children to fight people?"

"In self defense. Yes." She replied quickly.

He shook his head, his voice filled with loads of feigned disbelief. "Unbelievable. Do you show 'em how to steal from old ladies at gunpoint, too?" In his defense, he'd never heard of self-defense classes or martial arts. And teasing her was incredibly fun.

She pushed him. "You know I don't mean it like that."

"I'm…I'm speechless. Do their parents know or are you picking 'em off the streets?" He could no longer keep his face straight when she pushed him hard into a tree. They were both laughing when he regained his footing. It felt good to laugh. He'd needed to laugh after the past day and a half. It felt even better to be sharing that laugh with Alice. Felt…almost natural. As if he did this every day, when, in reality, he couldn't remember the last time he had shared a sincere laugh with anyone. In the Queen's world everything came in a bottle, even laughter.

Hatter thought he saw his boat as they rounded another set of thick trees. He directed them toward it and then noticed the top few branches had been cleared away. "Looks like we're not the first ones back here."

Alice looked, noticing the boat now. "Is it still safe to use?"

He shrugged. "I guess we'll find out." They walked toward it, Hatter sliding down the steep bank. He removed the rest of the leaves and branches. After he stepped inside the boat, he spun around, trying to tell if anything was amiss. "Everything looks to be in order. I suppose."

"Why would they just leave it there?" She asked as she slid down and grabbed onto a tree to keep from falling too quickly.

Hatter looked up, "Probably didn't expect us to make it back." That told him wonders about that Rabbit Maniac's confidence. Which didn't bode well for them. Hopefully, he wouldn't be reassigned now that Alice was on the loose again.

Alice watched him sit down and he had just put his hand on the key when he stopped. She rubbed at her arms, her damp clothes making her shiver. Hatter sighed. "You should get back to Charlie before you catch a cold." When she didn't move to leave, he added, "I'll be back as soon as I can. Shouldn't take too long, the Resistance can work fast when properly motivated."

"You mean the ring?"

His shoulders fell. "I won't let them take it without your permission. But it might be the only way I can make a deal interesting enough to get you your father…if that's okay with you?"

She raised her eyebrows. "You're asking now?"

He frowned. "Yes. I am. I told you I'm on your side. I just want to help, that's all. Now, can I use the ring to negotiate for your father?"

"I don't have it with me."

He figured as much. "But can I use it to make a deal? I promise, I'll only do it on your terms. They have to get you to your father and then get you home. Anything else and I walk. We'll find another way in."

She cocked her head. "Is it back to 'we' now?"

"It's always been 'we.' Until I get you home…until you're safe back in your world that's just how it's going to be." His eyes flickered. He felt self-conscious…like he might be assuming too much. But she didn't look unhappy about it.

Alice nodded.

He went to start the boat, but Alice had spoken up again. "Oh, and…"

Their eyes met.

"Thank you. For coming after me."

The boat started. "I told you, getting you home is all I care about."

She didn't respond before he was driving away. He didn't look back either. It was too risky. Leaving her standing there, in the hands of Charlie, it was hard to persuade himself to accept she'd be safe until he got back.

Sunlight reflected into his eyes and he had to squint, but it was quiet. At least, it gave him some time to sit and just think. He hadn't had the chance to do much of that since yesterday. Yesterday morning those thoughts might have been about his shop. About what he was going to do with himself without it. Yesterday evening he'd have thought about how to get back in the Resistance's good graces. How he could be of real help for once in his life. But today, now, he wasn't thinking about any of that. His only thought was of the girl on the shore and how, try as he might, he couldn't think about anything else.

He could freely admit that he was fond of Alice. It was plain enough, even to him. He liked when they laughed and he even enjoyed when they argued. Life wasn't simple with her, but she had been exactly what he needed. His life was different now, he was different. And he had her to thank for that. So as he steered down the back alleys of the city and began to park his boat, he had thought of little else but Alice. And because he was rather dense about the whole thing, he hadn't actually decided what his position was when it came to her. The jealously, the admiration, the protectiveness, even the dream, could not make the simple truth click in his head. So he exited that boat, now moving quickly so he could head off Dormie, ignorant to the fact that his exact feelings on the subject of Alice were still completely unidentified.

**A/N: First, I just bought the DVD and was very surprised that the entire movie is filled with little added bits here and there. I had been using Netflix until now and didn't know about all those little extras. I'm not going to go back, but I'll be including them from now on. Second, my mind was sort of wandering as I wrote this. I couldn't quite get my thoughts to focus, but I hope that didn't show too much. The next few parts are going to have a lot of added stuff, so they might take longer to post. I should still be doing at least one upload a day, though. Thank you for reading and a special thank you to those that have favorited, alerted, or reviewed. It makes my day to see any of those in my email. ^_^ Until the next chapter...**


	15. Cat

**FIFTEEN**  
**Cat**

Hatter paced. He clicked his fingers. He took off his hat and then put it back on. He fidgeted. When Charlie had been telling him he lacked patience, well, the knight hadn't been far off. He possessed no patience whatsoever, except, it would seem, when it came to Alice.

Finally, he could hear Dormie's skittering steps. The mousy man usually took this route when he left the Tea Shoppe. Hatter had been working with him long enough to know. He waited behind the corner, ready. As soon as the little man entered his view, Hatter had him by the jacket and propped against the wall.

Dormie flailed and whimpered. "Oh not the face! Not the—" His gloved hands moved away from his eyes and now Dormie could see Hatter properly. "Hatter. What'd you want?"

Hatter got in his face. They knew each other well, and Hatter knew he had to be strict if Dormie was to know how serious he was. "Keep your voice down, Dormie. I need you to get a message to Caterpillar."

"What makes you think I can do that?" Always on the defensive. Hatter had never really noticed how people in Wonderland tended to put themselves first. He had been no exception a day ago. Now, he found the whole thing disgusting. These people needed a backbone. Or, he considered, someone worth the trouble.

Hatter shook his head. "I haven't got the time." Beating around the bush was not an option.

"Dodo's the only one I know in the Resistance. Not even sure Caterpillar actually exists. He's probably some mythical creature made up to keep us all…treading the mill." Dormie laughed at his own joke. Hatter wasn't amused.

"Then you tell Dodo to get a message to him then." He'd already torched that bridge. Dodo would more likely shoot than listen if Hatter had approached him personally. "We still have what they want. We're ready to make a deal." Then Hatter left him, knowing that Dormie would deliver the message, even if he only would do it to keep his own name clear, the message would be received.

Unfortunately, with that part done, all there was to do was to wait for the answer. Hatter wanted to go back to his office. Maybe get a fresh change of clothes, clean himself up a bit, but that wasn't an option. They'd be watching the place, ready for him to come back and do just that. Like he would be that stupid. Instead, he took a path he normally didn't tread.

The city was massive, but thin. When he looked around at the broken floors, fallen walls, or bashed in doors, he just couldn't see how it was once filled with people. Since he was born the place had been just as vacant with more and more fleeing or facing trial every day. Queen's justice at work. As it was, the more populated areas stemmed from the middle levels. The further you got from the city's center the more sparse the life and activity. That's where the more unattractive business went down and the crime would have been considered high, but there was no one ever that far down or up to see it. The Suits mainly avoided the area. You could search for days and not find a single soul, unless they wanted you to find them. Not the type of place you let your kids play in, that's for sure.

Hatter's home had been near the top. That is where he had started, as a boy. There hadn't been any other children he knew, so he had mostly entertained himself. When he wasn't out working with his father he'd play games. Mess around with his hat, throw it and then catch it again each time throwing it higher than the last. When he was six, he had thrown it high enough for the wind to catch it and that hat had been lost. He'd been more careful since.

He would say he'd had a lonely childhood, but he had never felt as much. To know he was lonely would be to know there was such a thing as not being lonely. He never saw people save his father and the few 'friends' his father used to help with their schemes. No other families with a happy brood of siblings and kind relatives to compare his life to. That had been a blessing, at least.

Hatter's feet had stopped near the edge of the city's center. He was leaning against a building, looking up. If his father were still alive, which Hatter neither knew nor cared to know, he'd be up there. Probably had moved to the western most side of the city. Away from the home they had shared. Not that it mattered. He'd never see the old man again. But it was nice to know that it didn't bother him anymore. The memories of all that, the things he had done, he had always ran from them. Now he knew that he was making up for it and would do until the Queen was dethroned and Wonderland was the place it was meant to be again.

His hands were in his pockets and he kicked at some rubble near his boots. As for Alice, well, he knew that he was doing the right thing for her. The Resistance was her best bet and if they agreed to help then she'd be home soon. The idea made him frown. Sure he'd miss her. They were friends, he liked to think, and his only friend. Without her he'd have to find someone else to argue with and to make him face the hard decisions. He'd have to find someone else to be his courage, because he was mostly a coward before he'd met her. But she had a way of making him braver. Possibly because he was just so desperate to prove any of her negative assumptions about him wrong. This made him laugh softly. He'd only wanted to be better because he had wanted her to be wrong. Not really the most noble of motivators, but it had done the trick. It was still funny, when he considered.

Movement made him alert. He removed his hands and had them ready for a fight. Even if it was the Resistance about his message there was no guarantee that it would be to agree to it. Dodo had been pretty pissed.

The man that approached him wasn't Dodo. Hatter breathed relief for that. "Cat." Hatter nodded in greeting, but he remained at the ready.

As with all the Resistance, their code names were animal related. Usually to do with some part of their personality. This one, Cat, was one of the few that didn't want to hold Hatter at gunpoint upon every meeting.

Rolling his shoulders, Cat nodded back.

Then there was silence. Hatter was the first to break it, seeing as he was in a rush. "And?"

Cat yawned. "They got your message. Dodo delivered it to Caterpillar personally." Then his sleepy eyes twinkled. "Must be some bargaining chip you got."

"Their answer?" He asked, not willing to give information that wasn't necessary.

"Caterpillar says he'll see her."

Hatter's grin was immediate.

"He'll be sending someone over." Cat continued, examining his hands and then picking at a speck of dirt.

"Who?"

"Wouldn't say. They'll find you."

Hatter nodded. "Right. Thank you, Cat."

"Hey, don't be thanking me. I'm just delivering their message." Cat looked up from his hands, that gleam back in them. "On another note, what's this I'm hearing about Hatter's Tea Shoppe no longer up for business?"

They studied each other. Cat knew Hatter well enough to make deductions of his own. Hatter kept silent.

"My. My. She must be some girl." Cat remarked with a crooked grin.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hatter snapped, defensive.

"Nothing. Just never thought I'd see the day Hatter'd be willing to give up his lovely patch of green grass for a piece in a pretty skirt."

"I'm just doing what's right for once. I was going to leave the shop anyway…" Hatter knew that hadn't been true at the time. Cat knew that too.

"I see." Cat put his hands in his pockets, leaning against the wall lazily.

Hatter moved past him. He needed to get back to Alice.

"And Hatter?"

He stopped, but didn't turn around.

"Good luck. Word has it she's a real handful." When Hatter did turn, Cat was gone. He brushed off that last comment and hurried to his boat. He had promised Alice that he'd be back before nightfall and he didn't want to test her perception of night. The ride across the lake seemed to go faster. Maybe because he had been driving faster. Then he had navigated the woods, practically running. His rush, he reasoned, was to keep her from doubting him and running off on her own. He would feel better once he could see her again.

Pushing through trees and trying to remember his way, Hatter found the city, the broken towers just up ahead. Now that stupid grin returned. The one he couldn't shake even when he wanted to. He only stopped to catch his breath once, hands on his knees as he gasped for a lungful of air. Then he was off again. He nearly tripped on some chunks of broken fortress, but he managed to catch himself just as he was entering Charlie's Throne Room. He looked around, a bit breathless and still grinning like a moron. He didn't see Alice, but that was okay. She was probably…somewhere. He called her name, but she didn't answer. Then he saw Charlie fast asleep in his hammock. Right. Hatter had just barreled in and the knight hadn't even stirred. Half annoyed, his grin faded as he closed in on Charlie's peaceful, unsuspecting form.


	16. Choice

**A/N: This is a bit of a long one. I couldn't find a good place to split it, and I didn't want to kill the mood. I loved writing it. And I want to point out, not that it matters, but a part of this was inspired by a song. Kind of. I never equate main stream songs to characters or scenes. I'm just not that in to music. But I was listening to the song "Payphone" by Maroon 5 in my car and, okay, I couldn't help but think of Hatter near the end of this scene, that the song might reflect how he feels...kind of...maybe? (I know it's probably a stretch, but I really couldn't get the idea out of my head. I picture Hatter whenever I hear that song now.) Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter. **

**SIXTEEN**  
**Choice**

Hatter held his breath. His prey unaware. He slid one boot forward, then the other. He inched closer. He got as close as he dared before speaking sharply, "Charlie!"

The knight yelped and his hammock spun around, him still inside, dumping him onto the ground.

"You're supposed to be looking after Alice." Hatter sighed, slightly annoyed.

"I know what you're thinking, but I wasn't really asleep. I simply let my soul lift out of its mortal shell to stand sentry on a higher plane."

Hatter took a calming breath. "Where's Alice?"

The knight looked flabbergasted. He was lucky that Hatter had been the one to find him and not some Suits. Or was lucky so long as they found her. If they didn't, Charlie would have been better off with the Suits.

It didn't take long, but Hatter thought he had seen her boot prints and then had found her on top of a hill a few feet from camp. He'd given Charlie the signal to stop looking then started up toward her. He paused when she heard him coming, eyes expectant.

"Good news." He began with a bit of excitement. "The Resistance wants to help. They're sending a special agent that will take us to see Caterpillar." He panted, looking back down the slope. "Whew. That's quite a…steep hill. You okay?"

"I was beginning to think you weren't coming back." She whispered.

"You still don't trust me?"

She dodged this question. "How soon till he gets here?"

"Those guys can move pretty fast when they need to…" He said, then he noticed the sight she had been looking at up there. The kingdom, in all its faded glory, lay out before them, much larger than he had thought.

"You're going to join them aren't you?" He didn't know why she was talking so ominously. Her voice was low, almost grainy. Like the idea of him fighting made her sad, or worried? "Fight alongside them?"

"I have to try." He said. "As Dodo said I have lived my life playing both sides of the court. It's the only way I could stay alive. I made the Hearts think I was working for them while I fed their enemies. Those days are over."

Alice nodded. She stood there, and he sensed she had something she wanted to say, but when she did, it was the last thing he expected. "What does your family think?" She hesitated. "About your joining the Resistance?"

Once the shock of her words wore off, he wondered if she wasn't trying to ask him about his family indirectly. As if she were interested in finding out more about him. Family, however, would not have been his first choice for small talk. "They…" he started, but he couldn't bring himself to lie to her. "I don't actually have any, so I guess that means they're okay with it."

He didn't like the pity in her eyes, so he worked to quickly assuage it. "'Snot a big deal. Happens all the time here. Family isn't really all that common…in Wonderland…"

"So you never had any family?" She sounded like this was the saddest thing in the world. He glanced at her, then kept his eyes on anything but her face.

"It's not important. I mean, it doesn't really…" He glanced again and sighed. "I had a dad. That I knew. That's it."

"What happened?"

"Oh, you know. The usual…dad stuff." He remembered the look on Alice's face when she thought her own father might be in the Casino. "Look, Alice, not all fathers are someone to aspire to. You get your bad eggs in any dozen. You know what they say about blood and water…" he laughed because this was incredibly difficult for him. "Water just happened to be thicker in my case. By a _lot_." He leaned back for emphasis.

She nodded.

"What about you?" He tried for light and airy, like this wasn't an incredibly awkward conversation. "You're dad's in Wonderland? Weird." He smiled. _Oh, this is so extremely awkward. _But for some reason that had never stopped him from talking.

"Yeah." She gave him a smile, but her eyes were now far away. "He disappeared…a long time ago and apparently he's been here." Her lip quivered just slightly, but she sniffed and then looked at him bravely.

"Your dad's really important to you, isn't he?" He couldn't help it, the idea was just too…foreign. But he could see quite clearly that her dad was important. And he desperately hoped the Suits hadn't ruined him. The idea of her disappointment was worst than anything. "Look, don't worry about it. If he's in there, Caterpillar will get him out."

She nodded feebly. "Thank you, Hatter." She smiled. "You're a good friend."

He grinned, the comment being both a huge relief and a crushing blow. "Never had someone say that 'bout me before." He laughed quietly. "Bit weird."

Something was bothering her, he could tell. She was so quiet. So distant. And he wanted to know why. He was just about to ask when she turned, starting to walk back down the hill. "We should head back. I don't want to miss them when they get here."

"Right." He nodded, following her. She kept quiet on the walk back. And he hovered behind her because he knew that something was wrong. Half of him was screaming to just ask her, to reach out and be that person. The person that makes others feel better when they're sad, that listens to their problems. The other half was afraid. Terrified. There was so much responsibility involved and he had spent most of his life avoiding it. After arguing with himself, stepping forward twice before retreating, he finally pushed himself to do it. Just ask her. "What's the matter?"

"What will I do?" She looked at him, eyes exposed and defenseless. God, she looked beautiful. "If I get stuck here?"

"Then I'll make sure you're okay." He spoke softly, gently. Afraid of shattering the moment she had started. Those nervous back flips in his stomach. The racing of his pulse with his shallow breath. And it was one of those moments where you don't think. "I think your luck's finally changing." _Our luck. _And she didn't turn or speak or try and stop him. So he moved closer. And they personified their relationship. He was moving closer and she wasn't stopping him. And after she had let him do most of the work, she gave in, just a little. It was their dance, the one they had done since he met her and now it would be a kiss. At least, he really _really_ wanted it to be a kiss. He was just about to take that leap, to move forward both physically and emotionally. To kiss her. To finally convince himself that this was not just fondness, this was attraction and real and powerful. And no one had ever made him feel so much in his existence. And now he was going to get to kiss her. And it was the best thing in the world.

"That's right. It is."

He felt a puff of breath on his lips before they were both turning toward the voice. And his moment was gone. Shattered. Just like his confidence. And he was back to wondering if it was even her he truly cared about or just the idea of her. He had really needed that kiss. Needed because he saw it as her permission and acceptance that there was something there, and he wasn't the only one to see and feel it so strongly. Now, he wasn't sure.

"Hello, Alice." The speaker strolled forward brazenly. He was thin, tall, and in a pressed suit. Which usually meant he wasn't on their side. Hatter stepped in front of Alice, shielding her. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"I know what you're thinking…" Charlie spoke from the floor, tied up and in his underwear. "How could anyone sneak up on _me_? And in my own manor, too." And that had not been what Hatter was thinking at all. Not even close.

Hatter didn't know why the intruder was alone, but he saw a suit and Charlie tied up, so he saw an enemy. Picking up the first weapon he could, a fallen tree branch, he stepped forward. Sure the guy had a sword, but Hatter wasn't planning on hitting him with the stick. He was planning on punching him with is right hand. The stick was just a means to get him there.

"You think you can take me on with that?" The arrogance was clear in the man's voice and stance.

"I'm not an old man." Hatter argued.

Then Alice was stepping between them and Hatter was at a loss as to why. "Look, no one is fighting except me and I am a black belt remember?" She seemed to be talking to the other guy. Since Hatter had no idea what it should matter what color her belt was. She wasn't even wearing one.

"Who's your friend?" The man demanded, as if it was his business. There was no aggression, no move to capture them. In fact, he seemed truly and curiously interested in the answer to his question.

"Just a friend." Alice explained, as if she felt guilty about it. Hatter's stomach nearly fell into his shoes. It couldn't be…

"Yes. You two looked pretty friendly."

"You're jealous, Jack?" Alice asked, confirming what he had already understood seconds before. This was Jack. Her Jack. The one worth the ring and breaking into the Hearts Casino and her most devoted loyalty. Tall, blonde, well dressed Jack. Hatter felt sick and wondered if it was possible to throw up with an empty stomach.

"A little." Jack answered. And Hatter was too sick to find a smirk for that. Even though he did love the idea of making Jack jealous. It implied competition. It implied that Alice might have been interested in picking up where Jack had interrupted. It implied Hatter had a chance, however small.

"Did I hear that right? The guy who's engaged to a duchess is worried about me?"

"You know that was just an act."

"No. I don't." Alice flared, temper spiking. Hatter had been on the receiving end enough times to know.

Jack dodged the argument. "Come, I brought you a horse. Let's get out of here." As if she would just pick up and follow him after everything. Without even an explanation? Did this guy know Alice at all?

"She's not going anywhere with you." Hatter stepped forward, already prepared to punch Jack's stupid face should it come to that. And he hoped it would.

"You know she can't stay here." Jack said, his back to them.

"Stop it, both of you." Alice put her hand on Hatter's shoulder, voice lower as she spoke to him. "I need to find my dad." She turned back to Jack. "Is he here?"

"Yes." Jack faced them again. "He's alive and well and if you let me, I'll take you to him."

"Really?" And she was using the voice. The voice she had used when holding that damn watch that Jack had planted on her. She was a little girl again and Hatter knew she'd be easily persuaded to anything now. His Alice was a warrior outside, but inside she was that little girl who missed her father. He hated Jack for toying with her.

"But we better get going. We don't have much time." Jack said.

"Where is he?" Alice asked, stepping closer to him, ready to blindly follow wherever he took her.

"We're moving him into the city." Jack said, "And if we hurry, you can see him by nightfall."

"What'd you mean moving him?"

"I have people helping me." Jack answered and Hatter couldn't stand to watch a second longer.

"What people?" He seethed. He'd done it enough times to know when someone was using people. This Jack was hiding something and Hatter would find out exactly what that was before he took Alice anywhere.

"Do you want to see him or not?" Jack continued to speak to Alice, like Hatter didn't exist. Typical prince-thinks-he-better-than-everyone-bastard.

"Yes of course." Alice breathed, and she was just ten years old. Just a girl wanting to see her daddy again. Hatter might have no idea what that would feel like, but he knew he didn't want that for Alice. Anything that could make her look that sad had to be fixed. "Right." Alice blinked, now timid when she was usually so strong. "Wow. Okay." She nodded.

"Tell me you don't trust this guy?" Hatter knew it was going to happen, but he had to try and get through to her. Not that it had ever worked so far.

"He knows where my dad is." She argued, now facing him.

Hatter wouldn't have her attention for long. "He'll say anything to get his hands on the ring."

"He hasn't asked for the ring. He doesn't _want_ the ring." She shook her head, in complete denial. "Do you, Jack?"

"Yes, I do." And there it was. The bastard admitted it. She had to believe Hatter now. Had to see that Jack was just using her.

"You do?" Alice wondered.

"It's jus' all an act." Hatter continued.

"We need the ring to get you home, Alice." Jack continued. As if this would persuade her. Hatter had tried the same line, only he had actually meant it, and it had never worked. Not on Alice. "The Looking Glass won't work without it."

"Yes of course." She said. It took all he had not to scream.

"Don't be fooled by this, Alice." He said. "He's working for his mother. Blood and water, you remember?" He hadn't used it in the same way, but it still applied. Jack was a Heart. He was one of them. As far as Hatter could see, he had done nothing to gain her trust.

"Then why am I alone?" Jack asked. "Why aren't there five hundred suits at my back? And how did I find you here in the middle of the forest, you think I just followed my nose?"

_Exactly what I want to know._ "How did you find us?"

Jack replied, "You sent for me."

"Come again?" A statement like that needed clarification.

"I'm the agent who's supposed to escort you to Caterpillar."

Hatter didn't know if he believed that. But it made sense. Why would Jack take the ring? How would he know of Caterpillar and that they had tried to contact him? It filled in a lot of holes. Damn him…

"You know Caterpillar?" Alice appeared more ready to believe this.

"Very well." Jack said. "Caterpillar recruited me into the Resistance. That's why I stole the ring and escaped to your world. It was supposed to trigger a coup. Unfortunately, well, you saw what happened. But if you give us back the ring, we could give it another try."

"You want to overthrow your mother?" Alice asked which annoyed Hatter. He, personally, was done listening to the ever changing story of Jack Chase/Heart.

"I've seen what she's done here close up. And I know perhaps better than anyone, if I don't stop her, she'll destroy Wonderland. So who are you going to trust to get you and your father back home? A Resistance insider and future king, who's already scheduled your return trip through the Looking Glass, who cares for you more than anyone else in the world…" He was laying it on. Peering at Alice with kind eyes and broad shoulders. Hatter considered his list of qualifications. "Or this man?"

And Hatter was summed up in two words. Because, by comparison, what more could he hope to be? Jack was all those things and Hatter, was just Hatter. He was just 'this man.' So he didn't defend himself. He didn't try and tell her that he had more to offer than just not being royalty. But, honestly, defending himself would only make it hurt that much more when she chose Jack. So he dropped his weapon, a twig, and stepped away. Hatter had been shot. Twice in his life. And this was more painful than anything he remembered.

Alice hadn't answered Jack. To her credit, she hadn't dismissed Hatter as easily as he thought she would. Then Jack leaned in and whispered the words that Hatter felt should have proven Jack's true motives.

"Where's the ring, Alice?"

When she answered, he felt a part of him die a little. His confidence? His will? Hell, let's just say his entire emotional state was currently on life support. "It's where it belongs."

She looked behind them, at the Red King on his throne, and Jack rushed forward greedily. He held the ring in his hands, staring at it like a snake who caught the mouse.

"Huh." Charlie lay forgotten on the floor. "Under my very nose." The knight said.

"I wish you all the luck in the world Alice." Hatter said, unable to keep pretending he had a chance of getting through to her. That almost kiss, that had been a fairy tale. And fairy tales didn't happen in Wonderland. There were no happy endings. And he, the conman coward, would never get the girl. He understood now that he had wanted her, too. That he had wanted them to be closer than friends. He wanted the trust she placed in Jack. He wanted to be partners, to work together, to just be together. There was no other way he could think to describe it, but that is what he wanted. He probably could have summed it up in a word, but that word eluded him.

So now he had to do the hardest thing he had ever done. He had to say goodbye to Alice: the girl that made him brave, the girl that made him want, the girl that pissed him the hell off with her impossible logic and stubborn arguing. The only girl he wanted.

"You're coming with us." She insisted, a child who wanted her cake and to eat it too. _You've chosen, Alice. You can't have both. _

"I don't think I figure in the future king's plans." Hatter worked to keep his tone light. He even smiled, for half a second.

"He's coming with us." Alice told Jack, as if that would change anything. She couldn't always get things her way. Life was about hard decisions. She had made hers.

"Caterpillar was very clear. The Resistance will only help you on their terms. You must come alone." Jack explained.

"But Hatter stood by me…"

"It's for your own safety." Jack said. "And for your father's."

Hatter had to get out of there. Now. He stepped to her side, whispering in her ear. "Hey, I won't want to go with this guy anyway." And he smiled and then he started to leave.

"What will you do?" She asked, unable to make this easy on him. Turning back around was like sliding his cheek along a cheese grater.

"Me?" He offered, masking his feelings the only way he knew. Humor. "You kidding?" And his grin was cheeky and there was just a hint of light in his eyes and for a brief second, he was Hatter. The Hatter that she had gotten to know and not the defeated Hatter that stood before her. "I'll be fine. Believe me…you're better off with this guy." She wasn't leaving. "Go." He ordered softly. And he did.


	17. Of Course I Followed Them

**SEVENTEEN**  
**Of Course I'm Following Them**

Alice was gone. She had Jack rode away on their horses. Hatter was watching from the hill where he had found her, when she was still there. He had untied Charlie, although a part of was tempted to leave him there. Straight faced and aching in a way he never had before, Hatter tried to remember that he had his own life to think about now. He had to figure out how to get in with the Resistance without the offering of the ring. He had to move on. He had to…screw it. He wasn't fooling anyone.

"I'm going after her." Charlie said, about to dash off.

"No."

"I am sworn to protect her."

Hatter wasn't in the mood. "Your work is done," then he felt guilty, "brave knight." As miserable as he felt, Hatter knew Charlie didn't deserve his scorn. The knight had been helpful and he deserved better. "But you should be proud. You've done one hell of a job. But she's in safe hands now."

Hatter waited until they were out of sight before heading back for camp. All the things he knew he should be focusing on, things concerning him and his life now that he couldn't be a part of Alice's, and he just couldn't care. He couldn't care about himself, about what _he_ needed. Alice might need him. And that was far more pressing. Before he had even made any sort of decision, he was asking Charlie for a horse.

"Whatever for?" Charlie asked innocently enough.

"I'm a fugitive now." He said, not wanting to give the real reason or Charlie might ask to come with him. "I can't go back home, run my shop as if nothing's happened. I can't stay here…" Charlie seemed sadden by that last part, but Hatter pressed on. "So. I'm thinking I should hide out somewhere. The hills out west. Lay low for a while."

Charlie considered for a second, beard and moustache twitching. "I suppose…if you promised that you'll return her, you could use Guinevere."

Hatter couldn't promise anything. He had to keep his promise to Alice first. He'd see her home, even if she killed him. "Yeah. Promise."

Charlie shuffled to his feet and handed Hatter the reigns. "Take care, harbinger. Serving with you has been a true honor."

Hatter snickered. "Yeah. Thanks, Charlie. You too." He headed out. He was an idiot for doing so, but he didn't care. It wasn't hard to catch up to them and with the terrain it was easy to pick out their horses from far away. He never had to get too close or risk detection. They stopped at a stream and he waited.

"Wonder what they're talking about…" He said aloud. He wasn't a quiet person and talking was something he did even if the situation demanded he just shut the hell up. He swatted at a bug flying near his face, watching them bend down and rinse their hands. "Oh, Jack, I'm so thirsty." His voice was high pitched, too high to be a good imitation of Alice. But he was rather sore with her at the moment. "Here Alice," He made his voice stern. "Why don't you drink from my hands. Royal hands make the water taste like strawberry tarts."

He scoffed. "If I were to do that, she'd hit me."

Then he adopted his Alice voice again. "But I trust Jack. He's sooo perfect. Even though he lied to me, I don't care. Oh and he's engaged? Well, obviously there's a really good explanation. What? And he only wants the ring? But he has his reasons. What's that Hatter? You didn't do any of those things? You've actually worked for my trust? Silly, you're not a prince. I'd be better off with my two-timing boyfriend who I didn't even know his real name until five minutes ago. Yes, that sounds like the better plan. Oh and did that break your heart? I'm sorry. I'm a stubborn jerk." He was still rather bitter about the whole thing. And talking in his mock Alice voice hadn't done much to lessen the sting of it. But it had been amusing. He waited until they got back on their horses and then started to follow them again.

Another few hours in silence. Talking like Alice had lost its novelty after the first two. Now he was just seething quietly. That's when he noticed something reflecting sunlight in the distance. He didn't think it would be Suits, too subtle for them, but he needed to check it out just in case.

Hatter heard him before he could see him. Charlie was singing that ridiculous song again and Hatter really wasn't surprised to see him. He spurred his horse forward, "Charlie!"

Charlie started, closing his eyes before he realized it was just Hatter. "Thetan's ghost, you nearly scared me half to death."

"What you doing?" Hatter asked.

"Out…taking…a…little…jaunt." Well, Charlie was a terrible liar.

"You're following them." Hatter accused, knowing that had been the case since he had heard the first round of 'Hey, nonnie, nonnie.'

"So are you." Charlie retorted. "Don't you shake your head at me. When I gave you Guinevere, you said you were going to hide out in the hills. Well. These are not the hills." The knight gave a haughty lift to his chin and Hatter resigned to just accept the knight's company.

"Come on, then." He sighed. "Try to keep up."

"No, harbinger. _I_ am the knight. _I_ will lead."

Hatter almost laughed. Charlie had tried to bring his horse to the front, but had only managed to lead it in a small circle. "Charlie, we're going to lose them." Hatter groaned.

"Right. You lead. I will follow."

With a shake of his head, Hatter tried to get them back on the trail. It wasn't hard, but would be slower going with Charlie. Eventually, however, they reached the edge of the city. Alice and Jack abandoned the horses once they reached the middle levels of the city. Hatter kept the horses back, just enough to not lose sight of Jack and Alice. Jack may have been the prince, but he had been raised in the Casino. There was no way pretty boy knew the city better. It wasn't hard for Hatter to deduce their destination as the hospital. Hatter wanted to follow them inside, but he knew that was too risky. As it was, he'd be surprised if he hadn't popped up on some radar. The Resistance would have the area around Caterpillar under strict surveillance. Hatter would just have to find a safe place to wait for them to come out.

"Come on, Charlie." Hatter turned his horse about.

"But Just Alice has gone into that building…"

Hatter shushed him. "Look. This is Resistance territory. We don't want to come off as a threat, now keep your voice down and follow me." Then he caught sight of a Scarab and he stopped. The Scarab was too close to the hospital for it to be coincidence. The Resistance was not their problem anymore, they would be too busy with the Suits. Hatter tied up the horse a safe distance away and then began to creep toward the hospital. He was trying to think how best to head in and get Alice out.

"Okay, we've no idea how many there are, but we'll have surprise on our hands." Hatter said over his shoulder. Charlie just bobbed his head. "Do we have anything to cause a distraction…or—" He stopped and pressed himself against the wall when he heard the hospital doors. A trail of Suits started outside and Hatter had the sinking feeling they already had what they were looking for.

"Black day…" Charlie said.

Hatter quickly found Alice. At least she was unhurt. Jack was with her and then…shit. The Rabbit Assassin, Hatter still didn't know what to call the thing, was with them. Apparently, Carpenter too, but he didn't know why. Alice was pushed forward and he desperately fought to think of a plan. He couldn't let them get her to the Casino. The odds of getting her out a second time…

"Okay." He formed an idea. It wasn't a good one, but it was better than jabberwock bait. "Okay." He turned to Charlie. "I know there are a lot of Suits out there, but if we let them get to the Casino, there's going to be a whole lot more. We have to take them now."

"Are you serious?"

Hatter faced him incredulously. "Yes." He didn't think he would need to explain, not to a knight. "We've got surprise on our side and we've got horses. You see the bottleneck over there? If I go in swinging and keep the Suits busy for a few seconds that might give you just enough time to get in there, grab Alice, and gallop away."

"Bottleneck? Swinging?"

Hatter didn't hear any of Charlie's questions. His adrenaline was already shooting through him. "I'm gonna need a sword."

"No. I-I can't…"

"Okay, show me what knights are made of." Hatter wasn't listening to Charlie in the slightest. He was already dashing off to get ready. They only had a small window before the Suits got her in the scarab and then it would be too late. Hatter retrieved Charlie's sword and got the horses in position. He swung it a few times, trying to get the feel of it. His heart was racing and he never felt better. He was about to sacrifice himself, because he had little chance of getting away, but he'd be saving Alice. He was proud of himself for that. Proud at how far he had come. Proud that he was about to charge into battle without a second thought.

He could hear the Suits approaching. "This is it. You're ready?" He didn't wait for a reply. "One, two…" Hatter charged forward, swinging at the first Suit he crossed. Then he slashed and slashed at anything in black that moved. Yes, he was aware that Jack was wearing black.

He knew he only had a few seconds. Their numbers overwhelmed his advantage and they had his sword arm firmly grasped as they began to pull him from the horse. "Charlie!" The knight was missing his chance. They'd be done with Hatter in less than a minute. But when Hatter looked, Charlie wasn't riding toward them. He was riding away.

"What the…?" Hatter was pulled from the horse. He was vaguely aware of Alice's screams, but then his back hit the ground and he was crushed under the arms of at least four Suits.

"Get off him!" Alice screamed. "Hatter!"

But Hatter was looking at the Rabbit Assassin. The mechanical head zeroed in on Hatter, the mechanical voice holding a familiar accent. "What a nice surprise."

And now Hatter knew who was under that mask. _Shit_ "Hello, March."

**A/N: Okay, I know the whole 'Hatter doing Alice and Jack's voice to himself' might have been corny, but I love it. I love when characters do that and I included the same bit in my Doctor Who story where the Doctor did a mock Rory voice and I thought it was pretty funny. ^_^ Anyway, if you didn't like that part sorry...I just couldn't resist. Next chapter is the torture part, oh yes, I've been waiting to get my fingers on that part for a long time. Should be up tonight before I turn in, but I won't promise anything. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and thanks for reading. And thank you to my followers and to those who take the time to review, it makes my day to read your comments and to know what you like or even don't like in the story. You guys are awesome. ^_^**


	18. Ahaha, Agonizing Pain is so Exciting

**EIGHTEEN**  
**Ahaha, Agonizing Pain is so Exciting**

The Suits hauled Hatter to his feet. Two of them held him by the arms as the March Hare stepped forward. "Been a long time, Hatter. I hear your shop is…uh, not doin' so good."

Hatter grinned. "Well, Marchy, you know how business works. But look at you. I love what you did with your hair. Such a vast improvement."

"You never did know when to keep your mouth shut. But don't worry. We'll see how long you can hold that smile when I'm through with you." Any fear that Hatter felt, he didn't show it. "Take 'em to the scarab." The Suits pulled him, arms pinned behind his back. Alice was still screaming for him, but all he could do was smile before they were pulling him away. "You're with me." March said and Hatter looked behind him as the Suits that held him followed March. The rest of them pulled Alice in a different direction.

And that drove him over the edge. The Queen would kill Alice this time. She would have the ring and Alice's defiance wouldn't be tolerated. She'd be killed. Hatter brought his foot down on the boot of the Suit on the right, an Eight. He felt the man's hold slacken and then slipped his arm free. Without pausing he brought that same hand up and into the face of the Suit, Nine, still holding him. Eight regained himself quickly and had latched onto Hatter's back. But he simply slammed his head backward into the man's face and then spun around to catch his hat before it hit the ground. Flipping it back onto his head he sprinted for Alice. He wasn't entirely sure how he'd be of any help to her right then, but that's where his feet brought him. Alice was being shoved onto the Scarab and when she struggled, she saw him and called his name.

Two Suits ran to meet him, a Seven and a Six. He ducked their first blow and took Seven out with a quick shot to the man's jaw. He heard a crack and several teeth flew into the air before Seven hit the ground. Six had used that time to grab Hatter's arm and twist it until he had Hatter on his knees. He yanked up sharply, almost blinding Hatter with pain.

March stepped into Hatter's view and he looked up at his former business partner. "Such a fuss. What is this Hatter? You never got your hands dirty."

Alice screamed one last time before the scarab was closed and beginning its ascent. Hatter made the mistake of glancing that way, even for a second. March's mechanical laughs were almost too much. Hatter struggled against Six's grip and received a knee to the spine. Pain exploded through him, the nerves all running to that spot, and he closed his eyes.

March knelt down, eye level. "So. It's the girl, is it? Big mistake." March reached out and grabbed Hatter by the neck, forcing eye contact. Despite his not having actual eyes. "You like her? She the reason you suddenly have a spine? Well, I'll take care of that real quick." March stood back up. "We'll take him to the truth room. See if we can't coax some information out of him. That'll appease her majesty."

Hatter continued to squirm and protest, he lashed out whenever Six let his grip falter and he fought with all he had, until sweat dripped into his eyes. He fought. And he struggled. And in the end, they had to knock him out. Forced unconsciousness was the only time that he wasn't thinking about getting to Alice.

000000

When Hatter came to, he was tied to a chair, his arms extended along the arms. His hat was gone, as was his coat, but what seemed the most pressing was the sore ache throbbing down his back and shoulders. He heard footsteps and March stepped in front of him.

"So. Here's how this is going to work. I'm goin' to ask you a question, such as, where's the Great Library? You're going to refuse to answer, on principal, and I'm going to enjoy watching you slowly break down. When I've had my fun, you'll die. Any questions?"

"No questions. Oh, but I did have something to tell you. Victoria says hi. Told me to mention, if I ever saw you again." Hatter's grin was cocky and perfectly hiding how truly terrified he was. As for Victoria? Well, she had forgotten March's name over much chocolate and cream cake…that Hatter had fed to her…

"Always such a funny man. Look at me, I'm in hysterics."

Hatter retained his cocky grin, trying to keep from falling apart. He called over his shoulder as March was leaving. "Bet the girls all go nuts over you now, although your personality's just as dry as before."

Then two men entered and Hatter could've sworn he recognized them. He grinned. "Now, refresh my memory 'cause I swear I've seen you before. You don't readily forget a mug like that. Especially not in stereo."

"Oh, but he is a funny man." Said the first one.

"Hilarious."

"We like jokes…"

"…Yes we do." One started and the other finished. And with each new word they stepped in closer, their hands behind their backs.

"Why don't we see if you like our jokes, funny man?"

"Although, our sense of humor is an acquired taste for most." Hatter was eyeing them, growing a bit nervous now that they were so close. The one on the left pulled out a stick, looked harmless enough. "I will get started, Dee, or do you want the honors?"

"Oh no, Dum. You be my guest."

The one called Dee got down in Hatter's face, and Hatter flinched away. "Tell us where the Great Library is."

Hatter smirked. "Okay. You got it. But first…I'll need to validate your library cards. Strict policy. I don't make the rules." And the next thing he knew was heat and pain went pulsing through his limbs. He cried out and then fell forward, the rope on his arms keeping him in the chair.

"The Great Library?"

"Piss off." He screamed and then they jabbed the end of their weapon into his ribs. Without waiting for another reply, they shocked him again. And again. Until he was slipping from consciousness.

"He's going to sleep." Dee said.

"No. No. No. You can't go to bed. You'll miss the fun." Dum said, lifting a cup to Hatter's lips. Hatter tried to shake his head, but he was weak. Dee grabbed a fist of hair and yanked Hatter's head backward, his mouth falling open to shout but it was then filled with what he instantly recognized as a type of tea. He spit out as much as he could, but most of it just went down his throat and he could feel his senses heightening with forced emotion. His eyes opened fully and March had returned to the room.

"You feeling better? More awake?" March asked, circling him.

Hatter's head spun, but he couldn't help the euphoric smile on his face. Damn, he was just _so_ excited to be there. Everything hurt and it was just awesome. Hatter's head lolled onto his shoulders. "Awake enough for your sister." He didn't even know what he was saying anymore and he giggled. "Ahaha, I feel like shit."

March's fist sent Hatter's head spinning. He saw double for several seconds and he could feel warmth trickling from his ear and down his neck. March stood in front of Hatter now, looking down at Hatter's still loony smile. You mix tea with extreme physical trauma and the effects were always a bit of crazy.

"Your girlfriend's been tried and sentenced." March said, and Hatter sobered up a bit. His grin disappeared despite the tea. He still felt giggles in his throat, but he wasn't smiling anymore. He stared blankly at March.

"You're lying." He said quickly. March wasn't right in the head. What was to stop him from using Alice as a trick to get to him? But Hatter couldn't be sure. And he couldn't be any more excited to be feeling so terrible.

"Oh, am I?" March shrugged as best his body could with that new head on its shoulders. "Believe me. Don't believe me. What do I care? I just wanted you to know. She'll be dead by morning. So, how's about it? You tell me where the Great Library is and I kill you a touch quicker."

Hatter set his jaw, his muscles shaking both from anger and from the harsh treatment and from fighting the urge to laugh uncontrollably. "Go to hell."

March backhanded him and blood flew from his mouth. Hatter spit onto the floor, trying to get rid of the taste and thick texture of blood and saliva. Hatter looked straight ahead. They weren't going to get to him. He wasn't going to let them. "When is a raven like a writing desk?"

"You still hanging on to that old nonsense?" March sounded like he wanted to laugh, but he didn't have the ability.

"Maybe crumbs in the butter." He chanted. They were just fragments of old nursery rhymes and riddles. But they were just the right about of madness to keep him sane. "Clockwork's not ticking properly." But it just wasn't enough of a distraction.

"Aright. We'll give you a bit longer." March left and the two psycho doctors returned, a skip in their step. And when they jabbed that weapon into his chest, he wasn't laughing anymore.

"When is a raven like a writing desk?" He closed his eyes. Another stab of pain and his knuckles were white, his hands shaking. He repeated the poems and lyrics in his head, but it wasn't enough to hold onto. Then Hatter had a thought. He was going to die. Soon. Whenever they had had their fun. And when death stares you in the face, when it is imminent and very real, things take perspective. What is important? What mattered most to him? The answer was easy. He knew a long time ago. It was Alice. She was the face he saw, her eyes steely blue and challenging. He saw her laughter. He saw her fear. And he saw her set her jaw as she blatantly disagreed with him. His eyes flew open and he felt nausea mix with the terrible throbbing. His limbs shook and his hair was matted with sweat and possibly a little blood. And he stared in front of him as they poked and prodded and laughed about it.

He loved her. It hit him just at the end. When it was too late to do anything. He tried to laugh, but it was more of a whimper. He was such an idiot. Was it a question? He was head over heels, maddeningly, excruciatingly, completely in love with Alice. All that time…he had wrestled and struggled with what exactly she was to him. What word could he use to sum up all the things she did to him? Love was so blatantly obvious he could kick himself. But none of it mattered now.

She was never going to know. He was never going to get to see her again. And he wouldn't cry, because he wouldn't give his tormentors the satisfaction.

Another stab had him crying out. _When is a raven like a writing desk?_ But why shouldn't he see her again? His side erupted with hot electricity._ The clockwork s'not ticking properly._ If Alice had taught him anything it was that you never know what was around the corner. He bit his tongue. _Maybe crumbs in the butter._ There was always a chance as long as he was willing to fight for it.

"Leave us." March had returned. "I said leave."

"When is a raven like a writing desk?" He clenched his hands. "The clockwork s'not ticking properly." Alice wasn't gone yet. "Maybe crumbs in the butter."

"Tell me where the Great Library is." March ordered again, but Hatter wasn't making cheeky quips anymore. He was going to kill that stupid Rabbit Head. "Yeah, I didn't think you'd crack. In that case, there's no longer a need to keep you alive." March pulled a knife from his sleeve. Now was Hatter's chance, or the last one before he was murdered. But things were so delightfully clear to him just then. His body felt like it had been dropped from the top of the city, but his mind was working.

"Twinkle, twinkle little bat, how I wonder what you're at." March chuckled, as much as was possible. Bringing up a different rhyme to mock Hatter. But Hatter was past petty squabbles. He readied himself for March's strike. They had made a serious mistake by not tying his feet. "Goodbye, Hatter."

As March struck, Hatter kicked himself backward. The knife hit the air and then Hatter kicked March out of reach. Twisting his legs down, he got himself out of the chair and though still chained to it, could now walk and use it as a shield. The first blow of the knife glanced off the leg with a clang. The second, Hatter moved so that the rope was cut from his right hand. And that was all he had needed. He leaned away from the third strike and then used momentum to smash his fist into that goofy head. It shattered, pieces of ceramic littering the floor. Hatter grabbed the knife and cut himself free. He wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand.

Hatter's body was aching. His skin bloody and covered in sweat. He was injured. And he was pissed.

**A/N: Whew, that was a wonderful challenge. I don't know if I did it justice, but I really tried with this. Really wanted to get some humor mixed with emotional stuff going on. Anyway, thank you for reading. And thank you for the comments. ^_^**

**P.S. Hatter tripping out on the tea was my favorite part. That one paragraph...where he's giggling and finds the horrible torment exciting because of the tea, I thought it was both funny and kind of tragic. Like, I feel they could use that as a legitimate form of torture. Beat you till you're senseless then hit you up with happiness so you can't help but laugh as they hurt you some more. "Damn, he was just _so_ excited to be there. Everything hurt and it was just awesome." I loved that line. haha. Sorry. I'm done.  
**


	19. Found Alice

**NINETEEN**  
**Found Alice**

Hatter strolled up to the door of the truth room and pushed it open, pieces of March crunching under his boots. The twin doctors were outside, and they looked puzzled then concerned to see him grinning so roguishly. "Hello." His tone was chipper and they took a step back. Maybe it was the manic look in his eyes that made his grin and casual stride so threatening. Hatter stepped forward and grabbed their electric weapon before they could protest. He held it in front of him. "Oh. We're about to have some real fun now…"

It was lucky that Hatter was not a sadistic basket case. He had only shocked them each twice…maybe it was three times and it was only so he could persuade them to sit still while he bound them hand and foot to each other. When he was done he took their weapon and snapped it in two, throwing the pieces at their feet. "Gentlemen." He tipped his hat and made his exit.

A volley of Suits marched down the hallway, Hatter could hear them a mile off. He prepared for a fight, but they ran past him. Something was more pressing than an escaped prisoner. It figured, the one time Hatter wasn't in the mood to be ignored. There were a few stragglers in every group and he waited like a shark to pick off the last one in their line. As the Suit, a Five, jogged after his herd, Hatter stuck out his right arm and close lined the bastard.

"Oops." Hatter looked down. "So sorry about that. My arm slipped." The man was about to get to his feet when Hatter helped him along. He gripped the Five firmly by the neck and began to drag him into a less conspicuous room. Five kicked and pulled at Hatter's fingers, but it was no use. He was slammed into the wall, his head making a nice dent and cracking the plaster. Hatter's eyes were livid, his smile wide and cheery.

"If you've a second, I have a couple questions." He began, slowly raising the man from the floor. Five's feet kicked out, but it barely made a mark against Hatter's shins. "One. What's got you boys all riled up, eh? Some five-year-old forget to pay his taxes?"

Five did try to answer him, but Hatter's fingers were making it difficult to breathe, let alone speak. Hatter loosened his grip a touch.

"Perimeter…" Five gasped and his voice was hoarse. "Attacking the perimeter."

Hatter looked over his shoulder then back at the suit. "Who's attacking?"

"I…don't know. T-they said it was…a group of k-knights." He coughed and Hatter could feel his throat choking in his hand.

"Knights? Knight…'ss'?" Hatter didn't wait for an answer. "Question two. Where is Alice?"

"I d-don't—"

"And don't try and tell me you don't know what I mean. How many girls called Alice waltz about with the Stone of Wonderland?"

Five gasped and Hatter's fingers loosened a touch more. "S-she was sent to the Looking Glass…"

Hatter raised his eyebrows, "But?"

Five's eyes found Hatter's face and he caved easily. "But…I saw her. She was b-being chased…a club and some Suits. The Gaming Room…number…fifteen…"

"So she escaped." He chuckled and then frowned, getting in Five's face. "And she came back? What the hell is she thinking?"

The man shook his head.

Hatter let him go, watching him fall in a pile to the floor. Then he grabbed him by the jacket and hauled him to his feet. He began to dust off the man's shoulders and even straightened his tie. "There you are. Good as new."

Five rubbed his throat. "Thank—"

Hatter knocked him out in one swing. "Sorry, couldn't have you running your mouth about our little chat." He rushed off again, this time with the knowledge that the Suits were all occupied with whatever was happening with the perimeter. Hatter navigated what he could remember of the Casino. He had been in there only a few times in his life and it hadn't been for a tour. Finally, he saw a pair of double doors that he recognized would lead to a Gaming Room. The question was if it was the right one. He opened the doors and peered inside, turning his head left and right. No blue dress. The Suits and attendants stared blankly.

"Oh. Don't mind me. Just…an inspection. You're all doing a bang up job." He pointed at a random girl, a Three written on her chest. "Oi. I don't want to have to remind you again. You know." She opened her mouth, obviously not knowing in the slightest, and he shut the doors. It didn't take the Suits in the room long to start after him, but he ducked out of sight and they headed off in the wrong direction. Upon reflection, he realized they could be very easy to ditch and he now understood why it was necessary to have so many of them. Not exactly full of Aces, that deck.

The rooms weren't numbered, but the next one he tried had been completely empty. The third one he tried was being cleaned by the janitor, who Hatter had tipped his hat to and also congratulated on a job well done because, well, no one ever thanked the janitor, did they? He said as much to the older man before sprinting off again. The fourth room held two Suits making their way toward a commotion at the other end of the room. And as he craned his head to look around them, he could see quite clearly who was responsible.

His pure relief was instantly coated with panic when he saw the Suits raise their weapons to her. And that was not happening on his watch. He sprinted across the room, whistling when he was close enough and then decked the first guy to turn his way. Alice caught the arm of the second and disarmed him as Hatter did the same to the man on the floor. Until five seconds ago, Hatter had been on the verge of a mental collapse. He'd been filled with anxious anger and had never been more vindictive in his life. Then he had Alice and he felt the negative dissipate and he wondered why anyone would ever need Tea when feeling good could be so easy.

"Hatter." Alice acknowledged. "You're okay."

"Yeah." He replied briskly, eyes focusing very intently on the gun in his hand. Then he looked up and realized this was the first time seeing her. The first time seeing her since he could admit that love had been that emotion that was so elusive to him. Oh…no…she was beautiful…had it always made him a bit…breathless? Okay, his heart was near beating out his chest and he had only made eye contact for half a minute.

He reloaded the gun and chambered a round. When he looked back at Alice she was horrified. "Oh my God…"

His face…what sort of state must it have been in? Especially when the last time he had touched it had been to wipe the blood clean. "Oh, it's a few cuts an' bruises. I'm fine—"

Sweet heaven. Alice crashed against him, her arms clinging around his back and shoulders. Bliss. They didn't have enough of the Tea, bliss. "I thought you were dead." She breathed.

He had caught her, the natural reaction, and was therefore hugging her. A proper hug with squeezing and labored breathing…and heart pounding…and room spinning…maybe that was just him. "Oh that feels good." He shut his eyes and he could smell her hair where it was falling on his jacket. She was _that_ close. And she had never been so close in that way and why on bloody earth did it have to be now? Emotions a bit haywire, he felt the need to push her away before…well, he was enjoying that hug a little too much…and love seemed to elevate everything times a billion. He saw why the Queen never made it into a Tea. Flipping kill someone with something that strong.

He, grudgingly, pulled her to arms length. Where her body wasn't so deliciously pressed all down him when she was currently suffering from an adrenaline rush that made her feel so real when held. "We should save that till we're safe." He said quickly. Until they were safer and he was less…ardently aware of her…everything. That, to say the least, had been a close call to a very embarrassing situation.

"I'm sorry I didn't trust you." She said when he released her. Alice…was apologizing…about not trusting him. No, he wasn't dead. He was mostly sure he wasn't dead…

"Do you trust me now?"

Her steely eyes were wonderfully serious. "Completely." And that was it. That was all he needed. He was hers now. Completely. Mind, body, soul, everything. He had earned her trust and for the first time felt worthy of it. Now they just had to get out of the Casino without dying.

"Follow me. I'm getting us out of here." He started to leave, a plan…vaguely forming in his head.

"No."

He bit his tongue. Oh, that would be his Alice. He spun on his heel. "No?"

"I have an idea. Do you see anymore Suits in here?"

He glanced around, rather confused. "I don't think so, no." But trust, it would seem, worked both ways and he was following right along with whatever plan she had come up with. Normally, her ideas were nothing short of disastrous, but he could tell that she needed this one. She needed him to be there for her and damn it, love made him follow without question.


	20. Bringing Down the House

**A/N: I want to thank all of you who are following this story and especially those that take the time to review. ^_^ I'm almost done with the script parts, but I will be continuing a little bit after the movie. Not sure how far. Enjoy this next chapter.**

**TWENTY**  
**Bringing Down the House**

Alice seemed to know what she was doing. Hatter was just about to wedge the broom into the door handle, as she instructed. He tried not to think about how it was essentially just sealing them inside with no other exit.

"Something Caterpillar said." She began. "Mix the wrong feelings together and you wind up with a complete breakdown. And Charlie…" He finished with the broom, trying to follow her thought process, but frankly, he'd never really been able to exactly follow the logic of Alice. "Charlie said the Queen only wanted to feel the good and not the bad."

"So?"

"We're going to stir up some emotions." Hatter wasn't entirely convinced about the plan. But it wasn't the craziest thing he'd ever heard her say. Alice ran toward the now vacant stage and he headed for one the booths for the dancers. Not exactly sure what he was going to do when he got there. Then, Alice began to shoot into the air and he figured it was as good a plan as any. After shooting a round, he began to point the weapon at the dealers, cautioning them about making another move.

"Deal another hand. Spin another roulette wheel and it _will_ be your last." Alice said, all passionate and fiery and…Hatter looked back at the dealers. Not the time. "Hey. Everyone." Alice addressed the oysters now, her tone lighter. "Wake up. This isn't a dream. This is really happening. Look at me." She was getting little response. The oysters were all drugged and some of them were mostly drained of all their good feelings. Alice was in for a real job, if she was going to get them thinking. "Think. Where're your families? Your kids? Your husbands and your wives? Your mothers and your fathers?"

_I'll be damned._ One of them stirred, even spoke, though it was too quiet for Hatter to understand from so far away. When he thought about it, if anyone was stubborn enough to wake them up, it was Alice. A sense of pride welled up inside him and, he was surprised to note, it wasn't for anything he'd done. It was for Alice and that was the strangest thing so far. Pride was not something a person like him readily had, especially not for other people.

"You were taken from them." Alice continued. "And brought here. Try to think. Your name. What's your name?"

"Taylor." Another oyster fought for consciousness. "No, that's my son. My son…"

Alice pushed right on, and he could see the heads and eyes of the oysters responding. "Look down at your feet. Try to walk away from the tables." But the oysters were all stuck. As they tried to move Hatter could see the emotions start to surface. Fear. Confusion. Panic. "Wake up." Alice ordered again. "Wake up. Look, they're trying to break down the door, do you know why? Because they don't want you to wake up."

The broom gave way just then. Splintering as a dozen Suits piled inside the room. Alice jumped from the stage and took cover quickly. Hatter had laid some cover fire until she was there before hopping down himself. Guns were going off left and right and Hatter hoped that it would help Alice's plan of confusing the oysters. Then a voice was yelling for them to stop and Hatter noticed Carpenter entering the room. Carpenter?

"I'll deal with this." Carpenter instructed, making the Suits lower their weapons. Hatter wasn't sure what the man's plan was, but he was probably right pissed about the disturbance Alice was making with his research.

"What'd you want?" Alice asked and Hatter was thinking how best to get between her and Carpenter.

"Put the gun down." Carpenter stepped forward and Hatter was running out of time. He kept his eyes on the Suits, ready to spring should they move.

"You stay right there." Alice said, and Hatter hoped she'd be strong enough to follow up her implied threat. Carpenter wasn't a violent person, as far as Hatter remembered, but he served the Queen and that was enough.

"It's me, Alice." Carpenter said softly. "It's your father."

_Come again?_ Hatter halted in his tracks. Where his mind had been figuring out how to get to Alice and then get them both out of there, now it was rather stuck. Carpenter was Alice's father. He did not see that coming in the slightest.

"You don't remember me." Alice's voice faltered and he could see her lips quivering. There was no question, that was her father. He could see that plainly. "You don't remember anything."

"I-I do. Thanks to you. I remember everything."

"I don't believe you." She paused. "This is just another trick. You see this guy," Alice raised her voice, directing it at the room now. "He's the one who brought you here. He hooked you up and when he's done with you…when he's done with you he'll get rid of you. Isn't that right?" Hatter, now thinking clearly again, began to move toward her. "Daddy, isn't that right?" Her voice shook.

"It was a Sunday. And we'd just come back from the movies." Carpenter recited. "And you were wearing your yellow dress…and those-those black shoes that always hurt your feet." He smiled, remembering. "Carol…met us in the driveway and told us, Dinah had been hit by a car. And you ran into the yard and I came and found you and held you for hours while you wept. I should've known you the moment I saw you. I've been a fool Alice. I've missed so much-wasted so much time. Please forgive me."

Alice caved then. She reached out and hugged her father. Hatter tried to understand. He wanted to understand. But that was impossible. Hatter looked away when he heard the doors again. This time Walrus, his side bloody, entered. Alice wasn't looking, but Carpenter noticed him and then he saw the gun.

Hatter's heart stopped. It was pointed at Alice. He started to run, so he could push her out of the way or take the bullet himself or…he stopped.

"No." Carpenter…Her father had turned her away from the gun and the bullet had hit him instead. He began to fall, to slip from Alice's grasp. She fell with him to the floor.

Hatter was only allowed a second before that gun was aimed at Alice again. No father to shield her now and Hatter was really done with the whole Casino thing. He unloaded into Walrus, until his gun clicked and there wasn't a bullet left in the clip. Because there were only so many near heart attacks he could take and he was completely fed up with guns and being shot at.

Alice was slumped over her father. The oysters, suddenly freed, began to run as the entire building began to shake. "I'll go find help." Alice panted, but what chance was there for that? They were still in the Hearts Casino and by the feel of it, the building was about to give way around them.

"Stay…please." Carpenter said and Hatter restrained from grabbing Alice and bolting. He couldn't understand, couldn't fathom why Carpenter would take a bullet for her. Sure, Hatter had been just about to do the same thing, but he was in love with her. Carpenter hadn't even known Alice for the last near decade. Hatter's father…Hatter's father hadn't even wanted to be around after the bullet had already hit.

"I'm sorry, daddy…daddy it's all my fault…" Alice kneeled beside him because that was Alice. She cared about things Hatter just couldn't understand. She had loyalty and bravery and so many things he wished he could be himself. He hoped he might even have begun to add some of those to his own list, but what she was doing…crying for a man she thought had run out on her, who she hadn't even known since she was ten, well, Hatter just couldn't do that. He glanced down and for a second, saw his own father's face where Carpenter lay. And it did nothing to him. He neither hated nor loved the man. It was worse than either. He felt nothing.

"You did good. I'm proud of you…" Carpenter sputtered and Hatter noted the growing pool under his head. They couldn't save him. Not now. Not when they needed to get out of there. But Alice needed a few more minutes and if he had to hold up the walls himself he'd see that she got them.

"I kinda messed things up though, didn't I?"

"We'll make it right." Alice said, ten years old again. Ten years old and finally finding her father only to have him die. Even when he said it like that, Hatter still couldn't find the means to understand how she felt.

"I'm sorry…jellybean…you're on your own." Alice sobbed and Hatter knew it had been long enough. Now he needed to get her to safety. She could cry and morn and be sad when she was alive.

"Alice." Hatter began to pull her up, but she fought to keep hold of her father. "Quickly. We've got to get out of here. I'm sorry." He began to drag her away, but she kept looking behind her. She kept crying. And when they left the Game Room she fell to her knees again. "Alice. The whole place is coming down. You have to move."

She cried and she couldn't speak. And he didn't have time. "Okay. Please, don't hit me." He reached down and scooped her from the floor. Alice grabbed his collar and buried her face in his shoulder. And it was the one time ever he had had to be strong for her. The one time since meeting her that she just could not make it on her own.

So he ran. For both of them. And the building crumbled. Walls splintered. Glass shattered. People ran screaming for the door and he held Alice the whole way. When they cleared the doors he kept running. Kept moving until they were past the tree line. Until the Casino was far behind them. And then he fell backward against a tree, sliding down until he was sitting. Alice held him as the ground shook. A cloud began to rise in the distance, the bottom floors already caving to the pressure. And Alice cried into his shoulder. He was panting, so tired from running all that way, but he moved his hand from under her legs and placed it on her head.

"S'okay. It'll be okay." He soothed, because he didn't know what else to say. "I've got you." He whispered and then he was shielding her from the brutal crunching of the building finally giving way to gravity. He pulled her as close as was possible, shielding her head with his arms, and waited for things to settle. When the dust had mostly cleared he looked up and coughed, having breathed in a few particles, and then he noticed that Alice had stopped crying. She sat up, still in his lap, and looked toward the Casino. It was a pile of rubble now and couldn't been seen from where they sat.

He grinned. "You okay?" He didn't tell her to move cause he didn't care if he ever moved again. Alice wiped her eyes.

"No." She gave him a weak smile. "But I will be." He was about to say something, he had just opened his mouth, when she was standing quickly and brushing off her dress. People crowded around the trees, some of them still breathing in the settling dust. She started to run ahead staring out at the rubble, fire still erupting in the dispersing cloud of smoke and dust. He was still catching his breath when they stopped.

"I don't suppose I could get that hug now?" He tried. After all, he did just carry her from certain death and a hug would have felt so good right then. She turned to him, a growing smile, and he thought she just might give him one, but they were interrupted by the Hearts…royal family of Ruined Moments. At least, that's how he saw them. First Jack with Hatter's kiss and now the Queen with his hug. Did they just hate happiness _that_ much?

"There." The Queen commanded. "She's there. Get her." The Suits started forward and Hatter stepped in front of Alice, but he didn't have to. One of the oysters had beaten him to it. The man pushed the Suits back, having no idea who they were or, really, who he was defending. And it wasn't just him. The oysters that had been in the same room were also rushing to put themselves between Alice and danger. Were all oysters so willing to help perfect strangers? While the longer lived part of him couldn't help but see this as a flaw, he admired it all the same.

"Don't just stand there, idiots. Arrest her." But the Suits didn't seem as quick to act upon her every word.

"Take a good look at your Queen first." Alice walked around the wall of Suits. "Make sure she's really worth fighting for." Hatter wanted to rein her in and tell her what a potentially bad idea it was to provoke them, but the Suits listened. They turned and faced their Queen. Hatter never thought that all of the work the Resistance had done for so long, could be finished by a tenacious oyster in a blue dress.

"How dare you look at me?" The Queen couldn't grasp that she was beaten. "She's the one you should be looking at."

"I'm not the problem." Alice stepped forward. Hatter smiled. It _would_ be Alice that could walk up to the Queen of Hearts as if she were the superior. And, in his mind, Alice was most certainly that. "You are." Alice finished.

"Off with her head." The Queen ordered, but not a single hand moved in her favor.

"And it looks like everyone is waking up to that."

"Don't listen to her." The Queen tried to get her subjects back on her side, but really, did she honestly think they'd run to her aid? "She's just an insolent girl."

"No one is frightened of you anymore. You're just one of us now."

"This is my kingdom and I am still Queen."

"Look around." Alice continued. "No one is listening. Your power is gone."

The situation had been moving along so well, but then, it just had to be ruined. "Jack." The Queen spoke to her son who parted the crowd with a leggy blonde. Not that Hatter noticed such things. He was really more into brunettes. "Thank heavens you're here," the Queen continued, "get everyone to fall in line."

"Me?" Jack asked. "Didn't you sentence me to death?"

"Oh, don't be so sensitive. I was just doing my job. Come on, now, and rally the troops."

"Mother, it's over." Hearing it from Jack had at least got her to stop talking. Hatter was now next to Alice and it had nothing to do with Jack's sudden appearance.

Alice held out her hand. "The ring."

"Are you mad?" The Queen chuckled. "I'll sooner have you cut off my finger."

"That can be arranged." Alice replied. And it was probably one of the hottest things he'd ever heard.

"Do you have a knife?" Hatter chimed in, asking the nearest club. The man looked at him, then at his Queen, then supplied Hatter with the knife. "Thank you."

Jack stopped Hatter with his hand, "Make sure it's a clean cut. We don't want any blood on the ring."

"Mhm." Hatter hit the switchblade, his face straight and deathly serious. The Queen was beaten. She handed over the ring and Alice held it up, causing a cheer from the crowd, most of them oysters from the Game Rooms. Hatter glanced around, rather puzzled. He leaned in next to Alice, "Do they even know what's going on?"

"Hatter. Just let the moment happen." Alice breathed and he nodded.

**A/N: Quick little note...the part with the 'royal family of Ruined Moments' was originally 'royal family of Cockblockers', but I thought that was too much of a stretch for Hatter to think. He probably doesn't know what that term means. Anyway, hope you liked this chapter and the little added moment of Hatter bravely carrying Alice from the Casino *sigh* if only that really happened. Thanks for reading. ^_^ **

**P.S. I think that every time I watch this scene. Why the heck are the oysters cheering? Half of them don't even know where they are.  
**


	21. Goodbye, for an Hour

**A/N: Ugh. I hated this chapter. I'm sorry it took so long to upload. I just couldn't get it right. I was in the middle of it then I started watching Primeval and then Connor got all tangled with Hatter in my head and it was just not working. So, Primeval is on hold until I finish this. I went back and did a lot of tweaking and rearranging and now I feel better about posting it. Hope you like it, tried to get the feeling right and all that, but like I said, this chapter was a pain to write.  
**

**TWENTY-ONE**  
**Goodbye...for an Hour  
**

The cheering died down eventually. Alice had lowered her hand and then offered the ring to Jack. "Here. I think this belongs to you now." She placed it in his hand.

Jack took it, looking up and then around him, where Suits and oysters alike were watching him. "No. This belongs to Wonderland." He said and another cheer followed. And, ugh, Hatter just wanted to gag.

Then Jack began to give orders. So, typical. Only king for half a second and already bossing everyone around. He ordered for the wounded to be taken and looked at by the medical staff that had made it out. They were already setting up areas for the people to gather and areas for people to wait. Hatter winced. So he might have forgotten a pair of doctors tied up in the Truth Room, how was he to know the building would collapse? Surely they made it out…untied themselves…yeah. They'd be fine.

The Suits began their job of directing traffic. Some people to the medical staff others pushed straight on to wait for transport. They were already doing an inventory of what Scarabs had made it out unscathed. Hatter hovered near Alice now that Jack was busy.

She noticed him after a second and turned with a smile.

"So." He began, hands in his pockets. "Here two days and you destroy the Casino. Not bad." She laughed and he loved it.

"You." A Suit had walked over to them, and Hatter was alarmed for half a second before he remembered they weren't working for the Queen anymore.

Hatter looked at the Eight, "Yes?"

Eight studied Hatter's face. "You need medical attention. Please follow line two."

"No-no. Nope. Not me. I'm-I'm good. Just a scratch, really." Hatter looked at Alice and then back at the Suit.

"Your head is bleeding." The man said, just trying to do his job.

"Is it? Didn't even notice." Hatter chuckled. "So, I'm fine. Thank you…for the concern…"

Another Suit had walked over, a Seven and from the look he was giving Hatter, it was not going to be good. "Why isn't this man in line two?" Seven asked.

Eight shrugged. "Says he's fine."

Seven shook his head. "No, I personally helped drag him into the Truth Room." Eight raised his eyebrows at the implication and Hatter most certainly did not like the look they were exchanging.

"What?" He felt panic grip him. They were not going to take him away from Alice. Not before he got his hug. "I'm fine. Seriously…think I liked you better before…"

They looked at Hatter somberly. "Tortured for information. Denial. Come right this way." Eight held out a hand to guide Hatter along.

"Um, no. You guys deaf or something? I am perfectly fine." Hatter shrugged out of their hands. Alice was chuckling behind him, but he did not find this funny at all.

"You should go with them." She said, the filthy betrayer. "Your head does look pretty banged up. Won't hurt to have someone look at it."

"I…but…" He felt very cornered. "You too?"

She laughed and then pushed his arm playfully. "Just go. You could have a concussion."

"A what?" He looked at her. "That sounds serious. Is that a real thing? How do you know if you've got it?" He looked at his hands. "Spots? Or some sort of…" He paused. "You know, there is a ringing…in my ears…is that normal?"

"Maybe…" Alice said. "You should ask a doctor these questions."

Then the Suits began to lead him away again and he suddenly wasn't so concerned with whatever the hell a concussion was. He kept his eyes on Alice, but he lost sight of her once he entered the line. _Fan-bloody-tastic. This check- up had better not take long. _

Hatter was moved up in the line, no longer held by the Suits, but pouting. When he finally got to a doctor they cleaned up his head and when he asked about a concussion they laughed. "Is that not a real thing?" He whined.

"Yes, but we don't call it that here." The doctor checked his eyes and then, because the world hated him, someone recognized him as the man who was brought to the Truth Room just before the Casino fell. Now he was being hauled off, rather forcefully, to undergo some sort of psychiatric thing. Which, in Wonderland, involved a lot of backwards talking and inane riddles to make sure you were just mad enough to be functional but not so mad as to, say, start murdering your family. Hatter was diagnosed as a healthy in-between and was finally given the okay to leave.

He didn't know how long he had been in there, too long though. Alice had to still be there. She wouldn't leave without saying goodbye…then it occurred to him that she would be leaving now. She had no reason to stay and getting home had been so important to her…he could do with that psychiatrist right then.

Hatter was about to start asking around, noting that most of the oysters had been whisked off, probably for the Looking Glass, when he noticed a white knight sitting on a chair, waiting. Inside he seethed a bit. Last time he had seen Charlie, the knight was whisking off in the wrong direction. Hatter kicked at the ground and then approached slowly. Why was he even here if he had run away?

Charlie had a few bandages himself, Hatter observed. He stopped a few feet away. "So."

The knight looked over and then he frowned. "I know what you're thinking…."

"Really?" Hatter snapped, a bit angrier than he realized.

"I…" Charlie stood up and looked Hatter in the eyes now, making Hatter reel back just a touch. "I acted the milksop." Hatter opened his mouth and Charlie held up a gloved hand. "No, Sir. In my eyes, you are the true Knight here. And I bow to you." Then Charlie bowed. And Hatter, for the first time in his life, could relate to how one felt when embarrassed by a parent.

"Yeah. Thanks. That's good." Hatter lifted Charlie upright when he got stuck and clapped him once on the shoulder. He didn't mention that he felt the furthest thing from a knight, but it had made Hatter smile all the same. "Um, okay." Hatter sat Charlie back down, he was obviously still a bit banged up from whatever had happened, and was about to leave when Charlie spoke again.

"And, Harbinger." Hatter spun on his heel, a little annoyed at the title. "Your Alice has gone to the Looking Glass. She'll be leaving shortly."

Hatter stared. _Your Alice? _"Um. Okay, thanks. Great." _Trying not to think about it, but you know, thanks for the reminder._

"You are going after her?" Charlie asked, puzzled.

"What?" Hatter clicked his fingers, his thought drifting on paths he didn't want to tread. Questions like, what would he do now? Or what would he do without her? Things he just felt better ignoring. "Oh. Right. Will…do. I will do. Just…uh, now." He smiled and then retreated. But he didn't go to the Looking Glass. There were transports taking everyone over, all the oysters still lingering and waiting for their return. He boarded one, but hopped off just as he got to the building he now knew held the Looking Glass. Alice would be in there. That made him immeasurably happy. But Alice was leaving and that made him infinitely more unhappy.

He rounded a corner, strolling about but not venturing too far. Every considerable solution to his problem had crossed his mind in some way. Simply asking her, pleading with her, kidnapping her…in the end, he decided it was best to just tell her. The first and simplest answer is usually the best. He was going to tell her that he wanted her to stay, because it was the truth. Decided, he began his walk back to the Looking Glass, only to turn around at the last second and have another mini debate with his nerves and confidence. There was always the option of telling her _exactly_ how he felt. Scare her with heartfelt declarations of all-consuming love for everything that was her, even though he had only known her two days. For some reason he felt she would consider such a confession creepy and poorly timed. Either way, he didn't see the point in telling her when there was no way, no possibility, that she would return those feelings. The most he could hope for was civil friendship. He'd take that over nothing, but it was so much less than what he wanted.

There was no more wasting time. He had to just push on. So he rounded the corner, pushed open the doors and looked for…Alice. Any thought he possessed, any plan, had crumbled into tiny bits. She was hugging Jack. And it looked like a proper one too. The one he had so wanted. What chance did he have against Jack? None, apparently. She looked so happy. She had wanted him and now she could be with him. And he a king now, too. Anything Hatter might have said felt silly now. What was the plan? Convince her to stay? How dumb could he have been…how ignorant…naïve…the hope that had elated him, that had helped him to open those doors to face Alice again, that was all gone. Best to duck out quietly before any salt could be rubbed in the wound.

"Hatter!" Alice's voice, so sweet to him, was the very salt he had been trying to run from.

He might have tried to leave anyway, but damn it, as soon as she called his name he turned straight around. Alice had called him. Of course he'd come running.

"Alice. Hey." He replied hoarsely. "Excuse me. Sorry." He wound his way through the small crowd. Then he reached her and he drew a blank. His mind sputtered and would not start up again. He fumbled for words. He, Hatter, didn't know what to say. "I was um…" He motioned to the door, the one he wanted to bolt through. "I was afraid I might've missed you."

"Yeah, well, you cut it a little close." She seemed to be smiling. So, in good humor…that was good. Probably happy to be going home. Never occurred to him she might have been happy because he had finally showed up. Nope. Couldn't possibly be the reason.

"Yeah, I was, um…guess I was trying…_not_ to think about it-anyways I wanted to say…" _I love you_. "Goodbye." He nodded as if that had been what he wanted to say. _Coward_.

"Goodbye?"

Totally missed her question, and its implication that she might not want to say goodbye. That his saying goodbye was not what she was expecting from him. He was too anxious, trying too hard not to think because when he did it hurt too much. "And…if you, you know…" He continued on, oblivious and awkward. "Ever fancied coming back…" _What am I saying? Of course she wasn't coming back. What did she have left in this world, besides maybe Jack? I'm no Jack Heart. If she stayed, it wouldn't be for me…_

"You want me to stay?"

And this was his chance. He hadn't even had to bring it up. Alice, the girl who gave him courage. Alice that made him the man he needed to be. Alice that was the only truly good thing that had ever happened to him, ever. Was he just going to let her leave?

"Hell no." Apparently, yes. He babbled. To himself, he argued that if he had said yes, would it really have made a difference? He didn't believe it would because he hadn't noticed the hope in her question. So he felt saying no was safer. Of course, he didn't have to seem quite so happy about it, either. "No. Think you should go home." _Did she just look disappointed_? Impossible. That would imply she wanted him to ask her to stay. And that wasn't plausible. Right…

"Yeah…yeah, I've had enough of Wonderland for a lifetime." She laughed and he took her words literally and without context. She had enough Wonderland. In his mind, Wonderland was synonymous with Hatter. And he was thinking like that because for the first time in his life, another person was making him feel insecure.

"Yes. I am sure you have." He smiled with her, like this was a joke between just them. Because he had spent more time with her than anyone and he liked sharing a smile with her. "Right." He nodded and she continued to grin and he just had to keep going since she seemed to be smiling because of him. "Still we had…had a laugh. You know. Had some good times…obviously among all the…bad times."

"Yeah…yeah we did."

Another pause and he took a deep breath. _I should say something. I want to say something. I want to say…Alice. I've fallen…hopelessly in love with you and…I need-would like for you to stay. Here. Forever. With me._ But, naturally, he said nothing. And Alice took it upon herself to fill the silence when she started to remove the jacket he had given her. "Oh, um…yeah." She worked her arms out of the sleeves.

"You don't have to…" she handed it to him, "brilliant. Thank you." He smiled. He shook out the coat and the collar where he held it was still warm. "So." He started and he opened his arms. "We should…?"

Alice nodded and seemed to understand the gesture, reaching under his arms for a hug. But it wasn't a hug. Not the one he wanted. Not the one he felt he deserved. And it was over too quickly. Everything was over too quickly. Two days, that's all it had taken to want her this much. How was he going to handle two hours once she went through the Looking Glass? He held onto the jacket, his fingers rubbing where he could feel warmth.

"You know you could always visit my world." She stated and he was too far gone to see this as an invitation. She was just being polite, that's what he assumed. "You might like it."

"Yeah. We could…" what was that word she had used? "We could do pizza." He hoped it was the right word. He was turning this into small talk, but he knew they should have been way past that. Curse his stupid mouth that never seemed to shut up and now say the right thing. It would be Alice that rendered his near only skill useless.

"And lots of other things." Alice finished and he finally grasped her implication. Of course, it was too little too late.

"Alice please?" Someone was interrupting his moment. Taking her way.

"Really? I was jus'…" _I wasn't done. What did she mean? What other things?_ His mind was racing so he didn't rush forward to stop her like he might have been tempted to do. He watched her approach the glass and then she was being pushed through and it was like a bucket of water had been dumped over his head. Was he reading this wrong? He retraced their conversation. Could she have been hinting that she wanted him to want her to stay? So confusing. Hatter started toward the glass. His feet were moving, that's all he knew. She was just on the other side. He could follow…why not? This mess in his head had to be sorted. He needed just a few more minutes to ask her, to figure out what the hell she had been trying to tell him. He had been trying so hard not to think about it, not to think about her leaving, that he had nearly missed out on the all her subtle clues. She wasn't happy to go. She had been happy to see him. Maybe it was simply because they were friends, but maybe it wasn't. Just a few more minutes and he might have his answer…

A hand stopped him before he could reach the Glass. Jack's hand. Hatter turned sharply, looking at him as if he just noticed the king standing there. "You can't just stroll through the Glass when it strikes your fancy." Jack said.

Hatter glared. "But Alice..."

"She belongs there. You do not." Jack countered and Hatter fumed. He was right…but...that didn't have to be the case. Hatter was beginning to understand one thing. Alice was more important to him than he had realized. So much more than just an infatuation. Love was a powerful emotion. The one Tea the Queen never bottled. The one Tea that, for the longest time, he couldn't even identify. Now it was starting to make sense.

"_You_ went through." Hatter seethed. And it hit him that he was arguing to be with Alice wherever she went. If she belonged in her world then he was going to follow her. Whatever her comments had meant, whatever she had been subtly implying with her unreadable subtext, he'd never know if he just sat around Wonderland pining.

"Yes and it took foresight and planning." Jack removed his hand. "If you want to go to her…you have to follow the rules."

"Okay. What rules?" He'd agree to anything, just so long as they hurried up.

"You can't go back and forth. You must choose. We're looking to shut the Glass down, although it won't be permanent, we can't have oysters falling through. It's our world or hers."

"Hers." He said quickly. There wasn't a question. "Hers." A million times, it was Alice and nothing else, now could Jack just get the hell on with it? How much time was he wasting in her world? He couldn't remember if their time was faster or slower...Damn the rules, he was about to just sprint through anyway.

Jack didn't seem to like his answer, but he graciously nodded. "Alright. Meet me back here in an hour."

Hatter's eyes found Jack again. "Why?"

"Go home. Get some things together and for heaven's sake fix your hair. Her world is a bit more subtle than ours. You don't want to stand out. I've a bit of money for you, it's of no use to me now and the key to the flat I rented. You're paid up for the year, that should give you time to find yourself some work. It won't be easy. Her world doesn't work like ours."

"I don't care." He said, stubbornly. He appreciated the advice and help, but it was still coming from Jack. "Why you doing this?"

"Because she deserves to be happy." Hatter didn't know what to make of that, but Jack was already leaving. One hour. That's all he had to wait. He went to gather some essentials as fast as he could run. Just an hour. He could handle just an hour. Two never, but an hour…an hour he could manage.

**A/N: So, the next chapter should go a bit better for me. Hopefully it will be up some time today. Thanks for reading. ^_^  
**


	22. Through the Looking Glass

**A/N: So, I totally blew off cleaning my house to write this chapter before I went to work. I would already be working on the next one if my cats didn't need to eat and my dishes didn't need to be cleaned. Anyway, next update should be tonight or tomorrow. This is all filler. All my stuff. Hope I did okay with it. Almost finished with the movie, but I'm going to continue for a bit after the movie ends, not sure how far. ^_^ Hope you enjoy the chapter.  
**

**TWENTY-TWO  
Through the Looking Glass**

Longest. Hour. Ever. Hatter had returned to the Looking Glass ages ago. Now he was pacing because he lacked patience. If Jack hadn't said he had something to give him, he'd say screw it and just jump through. The technicians weren't fast enough to stop him. And his bag was small.

Jack did show up. Eventually. He handed Hatter a small device first, which Hatter dropped it into his bag, saying something about a cell…something. Then he handed Hatter a set of keys. "These are to the flat." Then a piece of paper. "This is the address." Hatter looked at the words, none of them made a lick of sense. Jack seemed to notice his confusion. "Just ask someone for help. They'll give you directions."

Hatter glanced upward. "Ask? Just walk up to a stranger and ask them to help?"

"Yes. Oysters do it all the time." Jack explained. "Now. Here is a wallet."

Hatter took the piece of leather, flipping it over in his hands. "Cool. What's it for?"

"It holds your money." Jack showed him a piece of paper and then slipped it into the slot at the top. Look at that, it fit perfectly. "And it holds things like IDs and that sort of thing…but I'm afraid I won't be much help there. You'll have to get one made."

Hatter nodded, but he was only half listening.

"Your best bet is to find Alice quickly. She'll…" Jack swallowed, and talking about it seemed to be hard on him. Maybe the guy had cared about her…under all the lies. "She'll be able to help you with what I can't. Keep a low profile. Don't draw attention. These people are very strict about outsiders in their world and you don't have the proper paperwork."

Hatter equated this to the oyster brands. A tell-all distinguishing him from all the oysters. "Got it. Okay. Can I go now?"

Jack looked him over, "You didn't change."

Hatter looked down at his clothes. "Uh, yeah. I did. These are different pants and a clean shirt."

Jack sighed. "Look, once you're settled dress however you like. But that coat is too conspicuous and you can't walk around with your hair like that."

"What's wrong with it?" Hatter looked at his reflection in the Glass. You kidding? His hair was his near best feature. Except maybe his smile.

"What's wrong is that you'll draw attention like that. Fix it before you go anywhere." Jack held out his hand.

"What?" Hatter was at a loss.

"The jacket." Jack looked completely serious.

"You tellin' me oysters don't wear jackets? Does it not get cold or something?" Hatter was finding this whole procedure ridiculous.

"You just need to trade it out for something more plain. Just for now." Hatter shrugged off the garment with a huff. That was his favorite jacket. He folded it carefully and put it in his bag. Something told him most of his clothes would be 'too flashy' by Jack's rigid standards. Jack held out a brown coat.

"It'll blend in more." He said as Hatter put it on. Not a bad coat…but not _his_ coat…

"Can I go now. Please." Hatter felt like a kid next to a cookie jar who was told that under no circumstances could he have a cookie. Damn it, he really really wanted the bloody cookie.

"Yes, just put your hat in the bag too." How dare he? The hat was not leaving Hatter's head. He was Hatter. He passed the hat. He…oh fine. He put the hat in the bag carefully, so as not to crease it. Bunching up a shirt and sticking it inside to keep it from caving in. "And your name. You'll have to think of something else."

Hatter nodded. Yeah. Yeah. What else did he want, Hatter's shoes? Were those too conspicuous? Then Jack looked at Hatter's head, now hatless and very very naked feeling. With a huff Hatter began to smooth down his hair. Wasting time. That's all this was. It took a few minutes, his hair had always stuck up at the ends because he _had always worn a hat. _He wanted to argue this, but decided to just keep his mouth shut. After much smoothing, a bit of coaxing, a bit of pleading, his hair, for the most part, was lying against his forehead. He grimaced at his reflection now. Ghastly. Is this what most oysters looked like? Boring. He desperately fought the urge to muss his hair up again. It just didn't feel right like this. But, Jack had said it would only be until he had figured things out. Just at first. He supposed he could do that. Alice was worth it.

"There." Hatter motioned to himself, passing inspection. "Can. I. Leave. Now. Please." A part of him was wondering if Jack wasn't doing this to him on purpose. Jack nodded in answer. And before Hatter could offer a thanks, because the guy looked ready to cry, Jack had pushed him through the Looking Glass, bag just making it into Hatter's hand.

Hatter had never been through the Looking Glass. And no one had given him the reminder of breathing. So when the swirling stopped, he hit the ground with a gasp. When he sat up, he noticed it was night time. The room he was in was large and mostly vacant. Sort of felt similar to Wonderland, if he was honest. Then he stood and a blue figure lay face down on the cement. Alice. Hatter was rushing to her side, horrified. How long had she been laying there? He saw her breathing and relief washed over him, but only for a second. She was unconscious. Maybe she hit her head…he didn't have time to guess. He looked around, but they seemed to be alone. He ran. There had to be people somewhere. Oysters helped other oysters, right? He just had to find…

Hatter rushed out the doors and stopped dead. There were people all right, loads more than he had ever seen just walking about. Their vehicles whipped by, tons of them, lights blaring and he had to squint because he had never known night to be so bright. And he wasn't even in the main city. Hatter caught his senses quickly and flagged down the first person he saw. "Help. Need…Alice is unconscious…" He was panting, but the man seemed to understand.

"In the building?" He asked and Hatter nodded. The man started to move toward the door. "Call 9-1-1."

Hatter titled his head… "Uh…9-1-1." He called it into the air…maybe an S.O.S in oyster terms?

The man looked a bit baffled. "No. Your cell. Don't you have a cell phone?"

"Cell…phone?" Hatter felt his pockets. "No…I most certainly do not have one of those…" What the hell was a cell phone?

The stranger sighed. "Come on. Show me where she is, we'll use mine." He pulled out a phone and began to dial, holding it to his ear as he spoke. Ah, so a cell phone was like a regular phone…except portable. Fancy. Then Hatter remembered. Right. Cell phone. Jack had given him one of those, but it was in his bag.

Hatter was trying to find his way back to the room with Alice, the man helping him pulled out a flashlight and began to search. Finally, when Hatter thought he'd just about die of nervous overload, the man was shouting for him.

"She's over here." Still holding the phone to his ear, the man began to relay information to people on the other end. Hopefully doctors of some kind. Hatter was at Alice's side in an instant. He could still see her breathing.

"How long she been like this?" The man asked, and it took Hatter a second to realize he was talking to him.

"Oh. I dunno. Not long. Few minutes." Hatter answered. An hour in Wonderland should only have been a minute or so here.

"He says a few minutes." The man repeated into the phone. He looked at Hatter again. "Police are on their way."

Hatter nodded. "Right. Good. Police are…doctors? Yeah?"

"No. What?" The guy shook his head, not understanding Hatter's confusion.

"But she needs a doctor. Not…police." He retorted, growing impatient. Should he carry her somewhere? Where did doctors live here? Hospitals like in Wonderland? Shit, he had no idea what to do.

"Buddy, you hit your head too?"

"No. I'm fine." Hatter snapped. "I just…when will these police get here?" He decided to wait. The police might know how to get Alice to a doctor.

"Don't you hear the sirens?"

Hatter listened. He heard a crap ton of noise, loud blaring horns being among them. But then this whole oyster world was obscenely loud to him. "Yeah? And?"

The guy shook his head. Then they both were alerted to footsteps, lots of them, and the frantic movement of flashlights. "Over here." The guy said again and Hatter guessed the police were the men in the matching uniforms. Oh, so they were Suits. That didn't make him feel better. The first one knelt down beside her and felt her neck with two fingers. _Taking her pulse. He's just taking her pulse._

The police person raised a metal box to his mouth. "Female. About 23. Seems to be unconscious. Breathing and heart rate seem steady."

Hatter heard a voice come out the box and he guessed it was some sort of portable intercom. They made everything portable here. The voice confirmed something about EMT's on the way, but he didn't know what those were either. Helpless. He felt truly and utterly helpless.

"Did you find her?" The police person asked. Hatter nodded. "What happened?"

The man sounded suspicious. Like he was accusing Hatter of something. "I dunno…I just found her like this…I was just passing through. Saw her and got help." The police person nodded. He looked around the scene and then at her boots. "Must've slipped in the puddle." He assessed. Then doctors arrived. The oysters called them EMT's, but Hatter knew medical equipment when he saw it. Two men kneeled beside Alice, pushing Hatter away, and began to check her. Then they lifted her gently onto a stretcher and carried her away. Hatter followed. No one seemed to protest. When they went to put her in a white vehicle, one of the many with obnoxious lights spinning in his face, they finally stopped him.

"I've got to go with her." Hatter protested.

The woman who had stopped him glanced over her shoulder, "Do you know her?"

"Yes." He snapped.

She didn't remove her hand. "You her boyfriend or something?"

Hatter clenched his teeth. "Not…exactly…yes. Yes I am."

She removed her hand. "Fine. You sit up front." Hatter huffed but went around the side and hoisted himself up to the seat. In Wonderland, transports were usually simplistic. He had never seen so many dials, knobs, buttons, or screens in his life. What were they even used for? The thing only needed to go and stop. Then they were driving and he felt his heart nearly give out several times. In Wonderland, there was no such thing as traffic. Did oysters travel like this every day? He thought he might throw up. When they finally stopped, Alice was wheeled inside what Hatter knew to be a hospital, and he followed. He kept her in his sight until she was wheeled into an examination room. Then he was told he could wait for her in the waiting room. How nice. A room designed for him to wait. The one thing he hated…

Hatter sat down. Oysters were everywhere. Milling about. He looked at the screen in the upper right corner of the room. The Hearts used screens and cameras to monitor the oysters. Most regular people like him didn't get to use or even really see them up close. This, however, did not seem to be wired so that he could watch other rooms. Not unless those rooms were filled with drawings. He could only stare at it for so long before he had to look at something else. Alice would explain what that was about when she woke up. And she would wake up. He affirmed.

Next he tried the magazines. Not a one of them made sense. Why should he care if Angela was dating Brad? Seemed a bit intrusive. He quickly gave up on them. When he had just about fallen asleep, Hatter heard a voice calling for Alice. When he looked up, there was a woman asking a receptionist for Alice's room. The receptionist gave her quick directions and Hatter shot out of his seat to follow. When he saw the woman reach the right door, the doctors spoke to her and he couldn't make out what was said, but he kept approaching carefully. The policeman he had talked to at the scene halted the woman next. He explained what had happened, well, as far as he knew anyway. There had been a lot more than just a slip in a puddle.

Then they caught sight of Hatter and he froze. "That's the man that found her." The woman turned to him then and he felt like a cornered deer.

She approached him, tears in her eyes. "You found my daughter?"

Daughter. Alice's mother. That…did not make him feel any better. "Yeah." He said lamely.

She reached for his hand and took it. "Thank you. Thank you for finding her." Then she wiped at her eyes and seemed to really see him for the first time. He did not like it. "I'm Carol Hamilton. My daughter is Alice, the girl you found." She explained.

He nodded. "Is she okay?" He asked and Carol smiled.

"Oh, they said she'll be fine. Just needs to wake up." She sniffed. "She might not have been…if you hadn't found her."

He didn't know what to say to her. He knew Alice was okay, and that's all that mattered. "I'm…glad she's okay." He said, feeling like he needed to say something. Carol was just staring at him.

"And you are?"

He replied instantly. "Hatter….Um…David." It was the first name he could find. "David…Hatter. David Hatter. S'my full…name." He was babbling. Yes, yes he was.

"Oh, well, David." She grinned. "I have to go in to see her now, but I'd like to thank you properly." She reached into her purse.

"Oh, no, that's not necessary."

"Nonsense. I'm just…" She chuckled as she pulled a notepad and a pen from her bag. "I'm just all a mess right now. You understand."

"Sure—"

"Here." She began to scribble on the page and then tore it off and handed it to him. "Here's our address. You swing by tomorrow. She'll be home by then. We can thank you properly. Do you like Indian food?"

"Uh…" Indian? "Sure. Love it."

"Perfect. You come by for dinner tomorrow."

"That's really not—"

"I insist." She touched his wrist as she talked, laughing. "Honestly, I owe you. The least I can do is make you dinner. Alice will be able to thank you herself. Okay. Around six?"

"Six…" He remembered that Oysters had a more rigid sense of time. "Six it is…" He'd need to get himself a working clock. "Can't…wait." He smiled and then grimaced…the look she was giving him…he had no idea what to make of it. Sort of like shark that spotted an innocent minnow…

"Okay. We'll see you then, David." Carol finally turned to leave and Hatter wished he had asked her if he could see Alice too, but it was too late now. He didn't think it was his place, to barge in on a mother and her daughter. He turned and started to leave. There was still his bag, he had left it at the site where he had found Alice. He'd have to get it back. Thankfully, the EMT that had drove him there was still around. He asked the man for the address and then for directions. It took him most of the night to walk back. When he had his bag he pulled it over his shoulder and then went about finding the flat Jack had left. That hadn't taken as long. It was close. Hatter entered and fell onto the bed. He didn't know how he was going to get to sleep, but he knew he had to do something to keep his mind off Alice. Eventually, he dozed off, but it wasn't restful. He tried to tell himself that it was only until tomorrow. That he only had to wait a little longer, but it didn't matter. Being without her was excruciating.

**A/N: Tried to explain things for the next scene, the one in the movie. Like the different hair and the jacket and when her mother had talked to him to invite him over. Blah. I don't know, thought this would explain everything. Like the hair. Why oh why did he flatten his hair? Had to be Jack that did it. That's how I saw it. And don't worry, first opportunity I get he's putting the hat back on and putting the hair back to sexy. ;) Okay, enough out of me...thank you for reading. ^_^**

**P.S. Wonderland had technology, so he would know what certain things are. They just seemed more basic with their stuff and people like Hatter weren't likely to get their hands on it. Like, he knows what a phone is, but people don't carry them in their pockets in Wonderland. That sort of thing.  
**


	23. Finally

**A/N: Okay, so movie is wrapped up. All finished. That final scene was a b...witch. Just saying. So hard to write. Anyway, hope you enjoy the end of the movie from Hatter's POV. Really like to know what people think, since even as I'm looking at this in the Document Manager on FF, I'm still scrolling through trying to edit and am still not one hundred percent happy. If I waited any longer, I would never publish it and I couldn't get so close to not finish. Thank you to everyone who reviews and those that follow and favorite this story. Almost finished with it, still at least one chapter, maybe more, left to go...  
**

**TWENTY-THREE**  
**Finally**

How long he had sat there, exactly, he couldn't say. Despite the fact he had been staring at a clock. Jack's flat was sparse. A bed. A kitchenette. A bathroom. Nothing fancy. There was a dresser and an end table, but Hatter was staring at the clock that hung on the wall. It was analog and the second hand ticked with every turn. It was funny, because in Wonderland it could be any given time at any given time. They never really supplied numbers to the hours of the day, and time was so easily distorted. But Hatter knew that oysters were fond of their numbers and Carol had said six. The clock he was watching, which turned to each number in order, currently told him it was just past four. Of course, he could have looked at the digital one next to him, but the idea was just too alien. He didn't even know the word digital except that it had been written along the bottom.

His tour of the flat had been quick. There was only the one main room. Hatter had already set his coat and hat on hooks in the closet, keeping them nice and presentable for when he could wear them again. As for now, Jack had said nothing flashy, he did not say no hats period. So Hatter had picked a simple black hat from his bag. This one was just as plain colored as his clothes, so he didn't see any harm in it. And it felt good to have something on his head. He had scrounged some food in the cabinets, but most of it was foreign too. At least most of the kitchen appliances were familiar in some respect. The stove, the fridge, the sink. Jack had not left much in the stores, apparently not too keen on staying.

Half past four. He got up and looked at the address again. On his walk to get his bag and then to find the flat, he had learned at least a bit on how the address worked. The streets were named and the numbers were given to buildings on that street. Simple enough. He did not, however, know how to find the specific street he was looking for. That would take some help.

When it was five exactly he hopped from the bed, there had been nowhere else to sit, and bolted for the door. He almost left with the door unlocked, but something reminded him that he wasn't in Wonderland anymore. So he had locked his door and then raced down the stairs, jumping the last few. When he got to the street there were even more people than he had seen the previous night. So much activity, he'd never known that many people could even live so close together without incident. He stopped a passerby, pointing to the address and was promptly directed which way to go.

When he was outside the building, he wasn't sure how much time had passed. He didn't want to be too early. But then he realized he had never carried a watch on him and that hadn't changed since coming here. So he hesitated. Then he began to rethink his plan all together. Yes, he had been invited, but what if Alice didn't want to see him? This was, of course, silly because she had been the one to suggest he visit.

No more stalling. He opened the front door and then checked the numbers on the apartments inside. Alice's one was after the first set of stairs so he didn't have to climb far. He crumbled the paper in his palm and stuffed it in his coat pocket. Suddenly, it was very hot in that hallway. Raising his hand he let it hang there. What he was so afraid of, he didn't know. Possibly the rejection when she learned that he was there to stay. That this wasn't just a visit. She might not like that. He swallowed the lump in his throat. _Come on, don't be ridiculous. She liked you…at the end. Definitely. She'll be happy…_

He set his knuckles on the door and then he noticed the buzzer next to it. He pushed it twice quickly, because there was a chance he would back out again. There was an immediate reaction on the other side. The shuffle of footsteps. _Oh dear God, this was it. _He breathed. And he focused on breathing because if he didn't he stopped entirely. The lock turned. Why the hell was he so nervous? He thought of bolting, the pressure just too much it was going to crush him dead…

"David." It had not been the face he wanted, but Carol smiled as she had no idea she was a disappointment. "Come on in." She stood aside and he entered. Not a single thing to say. Not a thing. He was completely mute. When she offered him something to drink, he smiled, panted rather awkwardly, and then shook his head. Carol didn't seem put off at all and he noted quickly that she was not as critical as her daughter could be.

Hatter had never had the experience of dealing with a girl's mother, but he found it terrifying all the same. A part of him desperately wanted her approval and he fought with every possible word that came to mind, trying not to say something he would regret. In the end, that meant he had said nothing at all.

"Alice! Come meet David." Carol shouted down the hall and he felt his breath leave him. She was just there…just down that hallway…his world revolved around that hallway…

Then he could hear more footsteps and it was too soon. He didn't know what he would expect when he saw her…but it was too late to think about it. His eyes never left that hallway.

Hatter saw Alice before she noticed him. She had changed her clothes and done her hair differently, but she was just as beautiful, just as he remembered her. When she started to look up he froze completely. Everything just stopped. And her eyes took less than a second to recognize him, even without the hat and with his hair all flat and unnatural. And she beamed. Positively beamed.

"Hatter." Alice ran. She didn't walk. And she jumped. And he caught her. The hug he had been waiting for.

"Finally."

Her arms were wrapped around his neck and he held her, would have done forever. Just to hold her was enough. Just to know that she was happy to see him. And it was one of those moments that stand alone. Where the past and future didn't matter, didn't exist. The present was the only thing he knew.

He breathed in and then she was speaking, her chin on his shoulder. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you."

They pulled apart and she was smiling, shining, and he knew _exactly_ how happy she was to see him. The insecurity that had plagued him, the idea that she couldn't feel half of what he felt when he was with her, he didn't care about any of that. And when he dove forward, he didn't know or care about the reaction.

But Alice didn't argue this time.

"I missed you." He spoke into her lips before capturing them again.

And all the fighting…all the pleading with her, the begging, and then proving that he could deserve her, it had all been necessary. She had been exactly what he needed and that validated the running, the near dying, the life uprooting. It meant that this, the kiss he hadn't deserved before, was earned. He had earned that hand on his cheek, the breath on his lips, the subtle pressure making his senses dance. He had earned her. And God how good it felt.

Each new touch, each breath that carried between them when he tilted his head or she parted her lips just a fraction, all overpoweringly sweet and perfect. Her fingertips rested on his cheek and he held her lightly, delicately...and when her fingers worked their way up, nails just grazing behind his ear that delicate touch threatened to turn possessive and consuming. Fast…

"Ahem."

**A/N: ****Will definitely be doing at least one more after this, just to give a bit of closure. That's why I didn't go for the grand, this is all over, feeling. It will, however, more likely than not...be...um, rated M. Okay, I know, why do I have to do it? Because I just do. So yes, I don't know if that means I have to change the rating for this whole thing? There will be a warning at the beginning, if I even get it to an M rating I have to see how the scene plays out. ;) Also, if I do more chapters after the next one they will just be fluff pieces of random moments in the future. No extra plot or anything. Like maybe some Hatter firsts for our world...maybe kids...I do have their kids planned out in my head, but I don't know if I'll write them. Again, all depends. **


	24. Favorable Ending

**Warning: Chapter rated T+/M- (I'm really bad at deciding a rating) for suggestive themes and intense make-out.  
**

**TWENTY-FOUR**  
**His _Favorable_ Ending**

"Ahem."

Hatter had stopped dead. That little cough had splashed ice over his tender moment. Alice, however, seemed less disturbed by the reminder. He only needed to catch a glimpse of Carol's reflection in the mirror to understand that she was shocked, confused, maybe a little peeved…

Alice turned her head toward her mother, who was already speaking. "Care to explain?"

"Yes." Alice rested her forehead on his chin and he didn't move but to hold her as she explained. Because he sure as hell couldn't think of a damn thing to say. "This is David…we've known each other from a long time ago."

"Oh. Good. Then you don't just make-out with complete strangers." Carol snapped. "Who the hell is he and why didn't I know about…" She motioned up then down at the pair of them and Hatter kept his eyes on Alice. Angry parent. New kind of scary. "…_this_?"

Alice gently pulled his arms from her waist and he allowed her to move him behind her. Really, he was just a puppet for her to control at the moment. Completely useless. "It's fine, mom, we have a…history." Carol crossed her arms. "I…he was moving away. He was going to leave so we didn't pursue anything. Now, he's back and I don't know…seeing him again just…well." Alice looked at her mother, who did seem to be calming down, a bit.

"And Jack?" She asked. "You were chasing after him just last night—"

"To give him back his ring." Alice said. "I was breaking it off with him. It just wasn't working. Then I found out David was back…" Hatter didn't comment on their excessive use of the name 'David.' A part of him wished he had come up with some fake name. At least then he wouldn't have to live with the one he had given up on.

"Then why not just tell me? Why didn't he say anything at the hospital?" Carol was looking at Hatter now and he opened his mouth but nothing came out.

Alice stepped in, thankfully. "He probably didn't know how much I had told you. He was leaving it up to me to talk to you. Like I had asked him to."

Carol shook her head. "This…this is unbelievable. I've never even heard you _mention_ him and now…what? You're in love with him?"

Alice didn't reply right away. She looked down and he felt that a pause was better than an abrupt denial. He watched the back of Alice's head.

When Alice went from a pause to blatantly not responding, Carol seemed intrigued. "What? Really? This man I've never even heard of?"

Okay, he was missing something. Alice must have been giving her some sort of look, because he couldn't see her face and he knew Alice hadn't said anything. Did she? No, he would have heard a pin drop. Alice hadn't said a word, but her mother seemed to understand.

Alice took in a deep breath and he saw her raise her head to look at her mother again. "Yes."

Yes what? Yes…she was in love with him? Was he following this right? Women were terribly hard to understand. Bloody females and their…secret codes…the only thing that kept him from speaking out to clarify the situation, was the fact that Carol was still in the room and he wasn't capable of producing sound.

They seemed to share another look and then Carol seemed over her anger. "Alright." She stepped forward. "Okay. We can talk about this later. Fine?"

Alice nodded. Then Carol sent a glare at Hatter that nearly had him backing away. She walked to the door and began to pick up her purse and jacket.

"Mom, what're you doing?"

Carol fixed her coat. "Oh, I'm going to Heather's. She had invited me the other day, but I cancelled to be here with you when you got home."

Alice took a step away from Hatter now. "But you made dinner. You don't have to leave."

The last buttons of her coat were done and then Carol raised an eyebrow at her daughter. "We _will_ be discussing this later." Then her tone lightened. "But for now, the food's ready. You know where the plates are. Catch up. Talk. You both look like you need it." Then Carol was shutting the door behind her. Hatter breathed normally for the first time since stepping inside.

Alice rubbed her arms, obviously thinking about her mother. "You okay?" He offered. And now his voice was working. Must have been Temporary Muteness…it's a real thing. Happens around angry mothers.

She sighed and he could see from the distance in her eyes that she wasn't fully present. "Yeah. Fine."

He nodded. Feeling a sense of familiarity and less tension now that it was just Alice, he looked around the room. It was like everything he'd come to experience so far. He recognized things, chairs and couches and such, but then there would be something off. Like too many clocks in the room and all of them reading the same time. Or a large screen next to a wall, like the monitors the Suits would use only bigger. They seemed to be almost a recreational thing here. When his eyes fell back on Alice she was picking at the side of her shirt. All his life he had never known what it was like to care about a parent, Alice seemed to care a great deal about both of hers.

He was just about to speak when Alice turned to him, eyes focused now. "So." She gave him a real smile, clapping her hands in front of her gently. "You're here."

"That I am." He grinned.

She laughed. "Yeah. I just…so, what? Are you staying?"

"Oh." He rotated the hat in his hands. "Yep. I, uh, sort of have to. Part of the…I dunno, rules apparently."

"Rules?"

"Long story. Are you…okay with me staying? It would be sort of on a…permanent basis…" He gauged her reaction and was happy that she didn't look angry. Quite the opposite.

"Really? You mean…you're here to stay?" She stepped toward him.

"If you like." Then he rethought those words. "Actually, even if you don't. Can't go back. At least, I wouldn't be able to any time soon. Not…that I want to. I mean…" He froze.

"Why?" She looked at him and then shook her head. "I mean, why did you choose to stay here? Give up your home?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

She blinked. "No."

He laughed. "Really? You don't know? I thought-I thought I'd been a bit obvious."

"Obvious?"

"Alice." He stopped walking when his shoes bumped her sneakers. "It wasn't a choice, coming here. I had to."

"Why?"

"Because _you_…are here, Alice." He looked away now, bit self conscious at the moment. "I dunno, when I saw you leave I just couldn't…I couldn't stay. I…" He was losing his nerve again. "I…well, you know…" He tried to force the word from his mouth, but it clung to the tip of his tongue stubbornly.

"Yes?" She prompted.

"I'm getting to it." He groaned. "You know, this is so much harder than people think…" He sighed. "Right. I suppose I'll just say it. I am…" He motioned to her, "…in love with you."

Alice shook her head. "What?"

"Yep." He popped the 'p' again and that made her smile. "Sort of…maddening…really. Love's not all it's cracked up to be, but yeah, so far as I can make out I'm rather hopelessly in love with you." He let out a breath. Once the word had left his lips, it seemed much easier to say.

"But…" She seemed perplexed and she pushed her hair out of her face absently. "But when I asked if you wanted me to stay you said, and I quote, 'hell no.'"

"Did I?" He shook his head. "Must've been…someone else-okay. Yes. I did say that, _but_ I thought you had wanted Jack and, well, didn't want to come off as the desperate loser—"

"You're not a loser."

"Yeah. I know that. I said I didn't want to _come off_ as a loser…" He smiled.

"So you're here to stay?"

"I believe I have already answered that." She did not look amused. "Yes. I am here to stay." He amended quickly.

"And you're in love with me?"

He broke their eye contact. "Rather hopelessly, I believe was the proper phrase, yes." There was silence then, a nice silence. He was close enough that when she inhaled her sweater brushed against his jacket. And when he finally looked back into her eyes she was frowning, nose and forehead scrunched. "What?" He brought a hand to his face, like there might be something on it.

"Your hair." She stated. "What'd you do to it?"

He brought his hand down over his bangs, all stuck and plastered to his forehead. "Oh…Jack suggested it. Said I looked 'too flashy' and would stand out. Had to keep a low profile." His eyes followed her hands, like they carried some sort of weapon, but she only placed a palm on either side of his head. "What you doing?" She didn't answer, but brought those long fingers up, pulling his hair on end. She worked her hands around his head, pulling and clawing, and his eyes nearly closed with the sweetness of it. Transfixed, he then stared, rather openly, into her determined eyes when she reached for his hand to take the hat he still held, then she set it on his head gently.

"Much better." She said, pleased.

"Yeah…" Her face was close now, almost nose to nose. He was leaning down and she looked up. He smirked then, feeling daring and, frankly, a bit more like himself. "So." Cheeky grin and all. "Did I understand that right, earlier?"

"What?" She shrugged, forcing the act that she had no clue what he was talking about. Oh, but Alice wasn't the actor there.

He titled his head, eyes narrowed and he brought her face up to his again with the side of a finger. "Don't remember? Just…" He pretended to think about it, "…maybe three minutes ago, your mother asked you a question." She swallowed and he liked that he was making her antsy. Liked that he could just make out her pulse racing where his finger held her chin. "I don't believe I caught your answer."

Alice sent him a steely glare. "Are you going to make me repeat it?" Her teeth were clenched.

"Oh yes." He whispered, just above her mouth.

"This kind of thing is really…difficult." She breathed. "As I said, I've had a hard time with liking people."

"Well, if I understood the conversation, which I do believe I did, this isn't so much about liking anyone. Besides, I'm the one who said it first. So, it's not weird." His grin was devilish, and he nearly started laughing right in her face when she pursed her lips so defiantly. Hearing her say it would have been nice, but then it wouldn't have been the same without her stubbornly refusing to admit it.

If she thought a kiss would deter him she was…right. Her hands shot forward, grabbing the lapels of his jacket as she pulled him flush against her. The smirk and his fun could wait. Right now, he had a very bossy woman to obey. Earlier, her touch had been a whisper, so light and sweet. Now she was screaming. His head tilted and his hands went from holding her face to squeezing her waist, pulling her closer when there was really no room to do so. She parted her lips, opening and closing with each new kiss and he mimicked and it didn't take long to coax those delicious murmurs up her throat.

At some point, his hat had fallen off. Most likely when she grabbed the back of his head: kneading and pulling and scratching. Incidentally, this was mere seconds before her back hit a wall. Breathing through his nose, he tore himself away, trying to play the gentlemen. He took a moment, hovering and using all his willpower not to just press forward and kiss her again. "I should…we should probably stop, yeah?" Their escalation was on a path he didn't want to deviate from, but it was the responsible thing to do. Damn his new found morals…

Alice tilted her head up. "Probably." But her eyes were dark and his jacket was falling to the floor, her face moving forward as she pushed it from his shoulders. He was kissing her again before he could think to question.

"So…" He didn't even bother moving away this time. He spoke directly into her mouth as he hooked a finger around the button on her sweater. "…anytime you want…to stop." She flicked the sweater from her arm where it had stuck. "…your call…"

He traced knowing fingers up her sides, pushing the edges of her tank top and reveling in the sensation of her skin.

"Just a second…" She panted. "…just…in a second…"

Then she was wrapped around his face again, arms pushing him downward as she pulled herself up. "So…" He managed to catch her by the legs, holding her in place and pinned to the wall. "Completely up to you…I'm not complaining." He smiled into her and he could feel her grin. And he didn't actually realize that even now, he couldn't seem to keep his mouth shut. Always been a problem.

"Did you…w-want to?" Her head dipped backward, neck arching against his mouth.

"Not in the least."

Alice looked down, her position against the wall giving her a higher vantage point. She held either side of his head. "Bedroom's at the end of the hall—" She nearly fell, her whole body whipped sideways sharply. She giggled.

He was almost to her room when his boot hit a step he hadn't been expecting and they both nearly went down. He winced, but managed to catch himself with a hand on either side of the hallway. "Oo," She looked at him, his body bent down where she was pulling it with her weight. "Yeah, there's a step…"

"Found it. Thanks." He caught his breath. "Probably could've mentioned a mite sooner."

"Sorry."

Alice was holding onto his neck. Her legs were firmly wrapped around his middle. His hair was sticking in every direction from the path of her fingers and his lips might have been bruised. "You know what? Doesn't matter." Given the situation, he'd be mad later. He didn't get to look around the room, she could have had a hit list pinned to the bookshelf or a dartboard with pictures of puppies speared through, for all he paid attention. Alice set her feet down on the floor, kicking off her shoes as they moved backward. Her hands tore from his hair and she had him by the shirt, swinging him around with the force she had probably used when fighting Suits. Her leg swung out and caught the back of his, and he was landing back first onto the mattress.

A part of him remembered a dream he had had once. Similar in theme. Alice had that same look in her eye then and she brought her legs up around his waist just as before. Only he wasn't sitting in a chair this time and that hadn't actually been real. This, however, was real and with no possibility of waking up too soon…

In hindsight, they should have known Carol would have returned at some point. If they had been thinking it might not have been so awkward when they had torn through Alice's room trying to put their clothes back in order. She tossed him his shirt and he got tangled in her pants before realizing they weren't even his. They weren't even the right material. When all that was left was to adjust his belt, he quickly did the fastener and grabbed for his hat, his hair resting in place around the brim and looking less groped and wonderfully normal.

Carol had the good grace to act as if she knew nothing of the haphazard clothing and the fact that both their coats were lying in the middle of the floor. He threw on his jacket, rushed through a good bye, and didn't even want to know what her mother would do when she found dinner untouched. He was already nearing the front door when Alice ran to stop him.

She bent down, kissing him again and murmuring softly. "If you must know…" She moved her lips along his cheek, resting on his ear. "I do love you, too."

"See, I knew it. I knew I had heard right." He grinned, elated.

"You really do talk too much." She whispered. His jaw snapped shut. She smiled and kissed him again. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow…" He frowned.

Alice sighed. "Let me talk to my mom, alone. Give me a few hours…then I can go to…" She frowned now. "Where are you even staying?"

"Oh, Jack's apartment. Gave me the key." He held it up, just a lone key for the only thing in this world he had that needed one.

She nodded. "See you in a few hours then." She pulled him into another kiss, letting this one last just a bit too long, hands beginning to wander. She didn't bother with a goodbye, they'd only have to kiss again if she did, so she spun on her heel and shut her door behind her. Hatter strolled into the street, much more embracing to this whole new way of living. More open to the tons of people and cars, as he now knew, that raced along the streets and did not like when you cut them off. He thought it might be fun learning how to drive one. Alice would be okay with it, since it was on the ground.

When he reached the street that was now his, he understood that he would have to learn about more than driving. This was a new place, a different world, and since Alice was a part of it, he would have to learn to be a part of it too. It would be a challenge, but he had survived worse and there was so much to look forward to.

A family, maybe. A proper one where people trusted one another and deserved that trust. Alice was his family now and that had never sounded so appealing. For once, the word didn't come with bitter resentment. Hatter had achieved what he had never thought he could. Overcome so much. And now he was getting his reward. He never thought he could deserve it. It only existed in stories. The conclusions of fairy tales and heroic fables. A hero's end, not the end for the man who simply passes the hat…But that wasn't true anymore. He was the hero now. This was it.

This was his happy ending.

THE END

**A/N: I've decided that if I do continue on with any more, I'll make it a new story, a sort of sequel to this although it might just be a collection of one-shots. Hope you enjoyed it had a lot of fun writing it... (expect this last chapter. Endings are really hard...) So yeah, this isn't exactly rated M. I had a picture in my head for the one scene, (the stripping/trying to stop) part and this is what came of it. Not exactly how I pictured, but I hope I conveyed it right. The last few paragraphs are rubbish. I can't wrap things up properly. My endings are always weaker than the story, but you know, something I need to work on I guess. Plus, this whole bit from the Looking Glass scene on is just falling action and it's hard to make that carry on this long. Hence my stopping. I thought Alice would have trouble saying the words "I love you" out loud, she seems to have relationship issues and that doesn't just go away, even if she is willing to be with Hatter long term and blah blah. Okay. So this story is officially completed, yay me. Thank you to all the reviewers and all the people who followed it for...wow, it's only been like two weeks...anyway, thank you for reading! ^_^**

**P.S. This Chapter was called, "His Happy Ending" meant to reference the last sentence. But with the warning before hand...and all the make-out stuff...I didn't want people to get the wrong idea because of the double meaning...with happy ending...or maybe I just have a dirty mind...yeah...**


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